THE murder of family man Garry Newlove by a gang of youths in Warrington has reignited the debate about young people and alcohol.

After three drunken teenagers were convicted of kicking the father-of-three to death outside his home, Mr Newlove's wife Helen demanded tougher measures to deal with the problem of underage drinking.

A leading chief constable has claimed the law needs to be changed - but are parents the key to changing yobbish behaviour?

IN an emotional statement following the conviction of the three youths who killed her husband, Helen Newlove called for tougher deterrents to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

She told parents they needed to "face up to their responsibility" and keep their children out of trouble.

Her sentiments were backed up by Cheshire chief constable Peter Fahy.

He has called for the price of alcohol to be increased and the drinking age to be raised to 21, said more needed to be done to prevent drunk teenagers doing "stupid things".

Closer to home, figures reveal some teenagers in East Lancashire are drinking more than the safe levels for adults every week.

Teenagers have told the Lancashire Telegraph it is easy to buy alcohol, but say the sensible majority are being given a bad name.

The relevance of the Garry Newlove case to East Lancashire is brought home by the experiences of Sgt Phillip Hutchinson, who spent five years working in Warrington.

Sgt Hutchinson, who is now neighbourhood sergeant for Burnley West and Padiham, said on one weekend 90 litres of booze - the equivalent of about 160 pints of beer - was confiscated by his team, mostly from underage drinkers.

He said late last year he found a 12-year-old girl "absolutely paralytic" after swigging from a bottle of vodka in Ightenhill Park in Padiham.

But when officers took her home, they were berated by the girl's mother for interfering.

Sgt Hutchinson said: "She had consumed a fair bit because her speech was just terrible. It was very eye-opening.

"Her mother was aggrieved that we had brought her daughter home when she was out with her friends. But we just said what about the consequences?' "It was an exceptional case, but we are seizing alcohol every single weekend.

"Everyone is working hard to tackle this problem, but parents need to be aware that they have a duty too.

"The obvious comment from parents is they are not causing me any problems' - to which the answer should be would you like them outside your house?' "The parents quite often supply alcohol to their children."

Sgt Hutchinson, whose team targets off-licences suspected of selling alcohol to under-18s, said it was just a "small minority" of youngsters causing the problems.

And he insisted: "We have got powers to deal with these kids.

"If you are drunk in a public place you can get a fixed penalty.

"We also have powers to ban people from areas for up to 48 hours.

"But sometimes police officers won't use the enforcement powers without first trying to educate the teenagers and let them see the error of their ways."

But Coun Sajid Ali, chairman of Blackburn with Darwen's licensing committee, claimed more was needed to stop youths "laughing at the law".

He said: "The police should have more powers, I am a firm believer of that.

"When they do make arrests there should be guarantees they will be sent down or given a warning, instead of walking away laughing.

"And the parents play a huge part. When we grew up in the 1980s we had to be in by 9pm.

"I work as a bus driver and when I see kids out on the streets at all hours I wonder where the parents are and do they care?"

Coun Ali agreed with Mr Fahy's claim that the drinking age should be raised to 21 - but said increasing the price of alcohol would "hit the majority of sensible people."

But neither measure would tackle the problem, according to Nadine Davis, a former landlady and now assistant manager of Shop 2 Go off licence, on Old Bank Lane, Blackburn.

She said: "I don't think raising the drinking age would make any difference.

"We get young people in here, and if there's no ID we don't serve them, whether they're 18 or 21 it makes no odds.

"Raising the prices would ruin it for people like us, your casual middle-aged drinker."

A study by North West Trading Standards has shown that 38 per cent of girls and 18 per cent of boys aged 14 to 17 are exceeding the recommended weekly drinking limits for adults, and 36 per cent of those teenagers admitted to becoming violent after drinking.

Martin Slater says he is living under siege in his bungalow on Lincoln Avenue, Blackburn, because of youths on drinking binges.

The 61-year-old, who suffers from bladder cancer and is confined to a wheelchair following a stroke three-years-ago, said: "Alcohol is readily available, kids can get it from anywhere.

"Those who drink are responsible for their actions and there are no excuses.

"But the problem is with parents too, police should do something with the parents too."

A spokesman for national charity Alcohol Concern added: "Misuse among young people is often tied to a host of social problems including truanting, lack of facilities, and the easy availability of cheap alcohol.

"It's vital that people working in schools, youth clubs and other places where young people spend a great deal of time are given training to spot problem signs early."

But Blackburn College students said the majority of youngsters were being given a bad name.

Victoria Crowther, 18, of Northcliffe, Great Harwood, said: "I think youths get targeted but people should remember it's a problem with a minority not with the majority of youngsters.

"It's not the parents' fault, they can't control everything."

Laura Deane, 18, of Nuttall Street, Accrington, said: "You can get hold of alcohol easily.

"If you can't get it you can get other people to buy it for you.

"But I know my limit, there's no excuse for drinking that much you can remember what you have done."

James Walker, 17, of Carham Road, Blackburn, said: "I could buy alcohol from a shop when I was 14.

"If you look old enough you can get it.

"But I don't drink to get wasted or drink to the point I don't remember anything."

And Sam Handley, of Oxford Drive, Blackburn, said there should be more adverts aimed at youngsters warning of the dangers of drink.

The 17-year-old said: "I drink most weekends but I don't want to be picking fights or find myself waking up in the street in the morning after drinking too much."