A CLAMPDOWN on off-licences selling alcohol to underage drinkers has resulted in four sales assistants receiving £80 on-the-spot fines.

All had failed to spot a 13-year-old schoolgirl buying the alcohol during Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's recent purge aimed at addressing the problem.

The girl, a volunteer recruited by the council's trading standards unit, was able to buy a bottle of sparkling wine and three bottles of a vodka-based alcopop at the four premises, in Normanby and South Bank.

On two occasions, sales even went ahead after the girl produced her Proof of Age card.

The licensees of the four premises, a supermarket and three off-licences, will now be interviewed by council officers, with the possibility they could lose their licences.

The council's cabinet member for community safety, Councillor Joyce Benbow, said: "When are people going to learn? This isn't just bad for the children, it is going to be bad for these businesses.

"It's time to warn those who continue to flout the law on underage sales that we will pursue prosecutions and pass their details to the council's licensing unit for them to consider revoking or refusing licences."

This was the second test purchasing exercise and trading standards officials promise more in the run-up to Christmas.

Trading standards officer Deborah Holmes said: "These four purchases were out of ten shops tested in the Eston, Normanby and South Bank area - another very depressing result.

"What is most concerning this time are the two occasions when the girl showed her Proof of Age, which clearly showed her 1991 date of birth, and the sale still went ahead."

The clampdown has the support of Cleveland Police's licensing unit, which helps issue the fines.

Sergeant Shaun Quinn, from the unit, said: "The message we are trying to get across is that underage sales will not be tolerated.

"Hopefully, these on-the-spot fines will be the quick hit that some people need. The average failure in the Langbaurgh area during these test cases is unacceptable.

"The news of these fines will get around a lot quicker than a court date and hopefully the staff and licensees will take these fines as a positive message."