Haringey: A crackdown has been carried out on the booze bandits responsible for mass under-age drinking in Haringey.

Police and council trading standards officers swooped on premises suspected of supplying alcohol to under-18s.

The raids were carried out using police cadets posing as illegal booze buyers.

They were chaperoned on the operation by plain-clothed officers as a number of outlets were caught red-handed.

After the task force visited 68 of 208 liquor-selling outlets in the borough in a three-week period, 50 of them sold alcohol illegally to the under-age test purchasers without asking their age.

There are 208 such outlets in Haringey, including supermarkets, corner shops and off-licences.

Borough commander Chief Spt Stephen James branded the outlets "a disgrace" for openly breaking the law.

He said: "It is very disappointing that so many licensed persons who have promised to uphold the law are flaunting it.

"Providing alcohol to young people is a disgrace. It places them at risk of becoming the victim of serious crimes and encourages disorderly and criminal behaviour.

"These adults and businesses are failing their community and they should very much reconsider their conduct."

The operation is set to continue until September.

Trading standards staff have begun formally interviewing the owners of the 50 outlets under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

Trading standards are to hand over their files to the police who will consider further action.

Keith Betts, the council's commercial group manager, said: "The council shares police concern about the high percentage of shops which failed to ask the age of the purchasers, and also their concern about the consequences of under-age drinking."

July 12, 2002 10:00