POLICE want to mark alcohol bottles so that they can be tracked back to the off-licences that sell them.

In a bid to cut under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour in the summer holidays, police have revealed the plans so that any alcohol confiscated from youths can be traced back to the retailer.

Criminal action would not be taken against the shops found to have sold alcohol although staff would be given additional advice by police.

Insp John Puttock announced the scheme to councillors at a meeting of Pendle Council's Colne and District committee.

He said: "We always do a lot of work with the off-licences over the summer and officers will always be going round talking to licensees to show them that they will be supported if they refuse to serve under-age people or people they believe are going to pass on alcohol to children.

"Marking the bottles will be another way to keep an eye on the licensees and find out where children are getting their alcohol from.

"We won't be able to prosecute people as a direct result of tracing alcohol back to the shop, but it will give us a good indication of which shops are supplying the alcohol.

"On the back of that, we can target these shops with more visits and advice from police officers, and target them for test purchasing operations.

"The scheme is still in its very early stages and we are still consulting with the licensees over the best way to run it, but it could help us further reduce teenage drinking in the town."

Pendle Council leader Coun Alan Davies backed the scheme, saying: "Under-age drinking is not a major problem in the area but it is still a very worrying one throughout the country.

"Any initiative that will help decrease the number of under-age drinkers is something we approve of."

But Paul Ennis, proprietor of Rennie Goth off licence in Colne, believes the scheme is unnecessary.

He said: "I've been here 25 years and never once been aware of selling alcohol to anyone under age. I don't need anyone else to tell me how to stop them, I can talk them out of buying it."