Shops ban strong booze in town behaviour blitz

NINE OFF-LICENCES SIGN UP IN BID TO CURB CRIME

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

NINE shops in Stockton town centre have agreed to stop selling strong, cheap drinks in an effort to drive down alcohol-fuelled antisocial behaviour and street drinking.

The Reducing the Strength scheme encourages off-licences to stop selling beer, lager and cider above 6.5% ABV.

It is running in Stockton town centre following concerns about shops selling “high strength, low cost” booze, including ciders as strong as 7.5% to 8.4%, to street drinkers, offenders and beggars.

“These people then often go onto cause issues within the town centre such as antisocial behaviour (ASB), aggressive begging, littering and other crime which deters the general public from entering the town centre,” said licensing officer Elliott Beevers.

“Licensing officers have observed alcohol-related antisocial behaviour firsthand and identified the perpetrators are mainly consuming these cans of black cider.

“It is well documented amongst officers that many of our persistent, prolific and serious town centre ASB offenders and criminal offenders are frequently observed with cans of high-strength, low-cost alcohol in hand, before, during and after offending.