HOME Secretary Jack Straw has been praised for launching an alcopops review in a bid to clamp down on underage drinking.

Burnley MP Peter Pike has joined 12 other Labour MPs in praising the move - and calling for a ban on "designer drinks."

The review was launched after a Bolton boy, aged 14, blamed alcopops for making him start a £750,000 blaze at a school.

Judge Peter Lakin condemned alcopops and branded them the prime cause for the fire at Withins School in Bolton when the teenager and three other boys appeared in Bolton Crown Court.

He said the manufacturers were "grossly irresponsible" for dressing up alcohol products as soft drinks so they appealed to youngsters who cannot handle liquor.

The Common's motion congratulates the government on its prompt response to revelations about alcopops and other "designer drinks."

It goes on to recognise the belated attempts at self regulation by the alcohol industry have failed.

The MPs call upon the Government to protect children by a ban or the most stringent strategy controls on these products.

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