WEST Devon Borough Council is taking part in a partnership operation to crack down on underage drinking.

The council is working alongside the police and trading standards using young 'secret shoppers' – supervised by officers - to buy alcohol from licensed premises in Okehampton town centre and surrounding areas.

If the 'secret shoppers' are successful in buying alcohol, the person who sells it to them is immediately issued with a fixed penalty notice. The deterrent effect has produced good results in other areas where the operation has been carried out.

It's hoped the crackdown will help reduce under-age drinking and highlight the dangers of proxy sales, where over 18s buy alcohol on behalf of young people.

The borough council is working with Okehampton Neighbourhood Police Team and Trading Standards to roll out the operation across the Okehampton area.

PC Matt Evans, local neighbourhood police officer, said: 'We have been working closely with licensees in the Okehampton Pubwatch scheme to discuss recent problems and how to deal with them.'

Louisa Wall, community safety officer for the borough council, and the lead officer on alcohol for the South Devon and Dartmoor Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, explained: 'Test purchasing has been carried out in other local areas, and a number of fixed penalty notices served as a result.

'Very few further notices needed to be issued during follow-up visits six months later, which proves how successful this type of approach can be.'

Cllr Mandy Govier, chairman of the South Devon and Dartmoor Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, said: 'We all know that this behaviour is prevalent among young people. If anything can be done to stop this, such as an operation of this kind, I'm all for it.'