A NEW initiative aimed at stamping out anti-social behaviour and under-age drinking is to be launched in Crook and Willington.

Off-licence traders are to be encouraged to join the new Off-licence Association to give greater protection to staff, and help them recognise under age drinkers.

A meeting has been called tomorrow by police and trading standards officers, and off-licence traders from throughout Crook and Willington have been invited to attend.

Sergeant Dave Ashton, from Crook Police, said: "We already work closely with the majority of pubs and licensed premises, and we have had a lot of success in reducing local problems.

"We are now looking to extend that by inviting the off-licences in our area to join."

Sgt Ashton is hoping the meeting at Wear Valley District Council offices in Crook, at 2pm, will go a long way to tackling some of the problems that both Crook and Willington are facing with anti-social behaviour.

He said: "We are hoping that this will take us another step forward to tackling under age drinking and anti-social behaviour.

"We are also hoping it will increase the safety of off licence staff and the conditions in which they work."