SHOPKEEPERS who sell alcohol to youngsters have been served notice to clean up their act after Bury was revealed as a hot spot for under-age drink sales.

In a undercover shopping operation involving youths and trading standards officers, nearly half of shops surveyed in the borough sold alcohol to under-18s.

Test purchases were carried out by 14 to 16-year-olds at 38 shops and off licences.

On 17 occasions, 45 per cent of cases, the youths were served with drinks, which included alcopops and vodka.

In 217 tests in other towns across the North West, 40 of the purchases, or 18 per cent, were successful, with Bury easily topping the illegal sales league.

Attempted purchases of cigarettes were also made, all of which failed.

Evidence from the investigation across nine boroughs, including neighbouring Manchester and Rochdale, is being put together with a view to possible criminal prosecutions.

The survey was only possible following a change in the law last December, allowing test sales to take place under the guidance of police or council officers. Children taking part were not allowed to lie about their age.

Mr Peter Jagger, trading standards manager, said: "It is disappointing that so many sales in Bury were successful, but we do spend a lot of time on these operations.

"There is considerable pressure on us to do something about under-age drinking and youths causing annoyance.

"Our part of that is to cut down on the supply side, which this change in the law is helping us to do and we will be continuing with test sales in the future."

Retailers who made the sales in February were informed verbally by officers at the scene that they would be contacted by trading standards officers.

Interviews are still taking place, with elected members to make the final decision about who the council will prosecute.

Mr Jagger added: "A lot depends on who we will want to prosecute, whether that be the licensee, shop owner or the actual person who sold the alcohol.

"In some cases the same person is all three which makes things simpler, but with larger companies it becomes more complicated."

The survey was followed by the police-led Operation Flock in April aimed at tackling youth disturbance in Whitefield, which also involved council officers.

They suspect that adults have been selling alcohol to youngsters at a profit and that parents are supplying drink to their own children.