UNDERAGE volunteers put a borough’s off-licences to the test in a bid to cut street drinking before Christmas.

A dozen licensees a day were targeted by 14-year-olds in an operation targeting premises across Hyndburn.

Accrington Police said just one premises out of 24 failed during the two-day operation.

Officers say the figures show licensees are beginning to get the message and are turning teens away. The test purchasing operations, which involved neighbourhood officers and representatives from trading standards, were carried out last week when underage volunteers tried to buy booze early in the evening.

Sgt Ian Corbett said: “Due to increased operations the failure rate has fallen massively over the last two years.

"This clearly shows that our strong message is getting through.

“We will continue to work in partnership with all licensees and trading standards to reduce underage drinking in the lead up to Christmas.”

Officers in Accrington town centre have now conducted 11 separate test purchasing operations in the last 12 months, targeting 80 premises in total.

Sgt Stuart Banks of Great Harwood police, who helped in the first leg of the operation, said: “Alcohol misuse among the young and vulnerable can cause a whole host of problems.

“Test purchasing is a very important tool in our armoury and the evidence is clear that the message is getting through.”