HEADTEACHERS are joining police on weekend patrols in an attempt to catch underage drinkers.

Heads are helping police to identify pupils, some as young as 13, who are out drinking in pubs, clubs and on the streets at night.

The aim of the initiative is to help police to identify trouble makers and anti-social gang members outside off-licences and housing estates.

It should also cut the number of pupils going to school with hangovers and being abusive to teachers.

The first headteacher to join the pioneering scheme was Stuart Rees, of West Redcar School, Redcar, who went out with police last Saturday in search of teenage drinkers.

No youngsters were caught, but police say they have had a lot of interest from other schools in the East Cleveland area wanting to get involved in the scheme, which has only been adopted once before in the UK, in Lancashire.

Insp Dave Mead, from Langbaurgh's Community Safety Department, said: "Saturday was a trial and it worked very well, although we might tweak the times to a Friday night and stay out later, until midnight.

"We have had interest from other schools across the Langbaurgh district, although we cannot name them as this would reduce the impact when actually carried out. We will be doing this again and it will form part of our anti-social behaviour strategy."