A COUNCILLOR is calling on magistrates to come down hard on traders who sell alcohol to under-age youngsters.

Barry Coppinger, of Middlesbrough Borough Council, stressed the effect under-age drinking has on the whole community and is asking magistrates to be tougher on licensees who break the rules.

He hit out after the owners of an off-licence were given "derisory" fines for selling a bottle of cider to a 14-year-old.

Jugjeet Kaur Nahal, licensee of West Lane Off-Licence, and her husband, Kewal Singh, who actually sold the alcohol, were each fined £135 with £150 costs by Teesside magistrates on Tuesday after admitting selling alcohol to someone under 18.

The court was told that Mr Singh made no attempt to ask the youngster - a trading standards volunteer - how old he was or to ask for any proof of age or identity. His wife was not in the shop at the time of the offence in September.

Speaking after the case, Councillor Coppinger said the fine was derisory.

He said: "Everyone knows that selling drink to young teenagers fuels anti-social behaviour. It is the bane of many communities.

"I will be asking the magistrates to review how they treat cases like this. They have been extremely positive in the past when drafting guidelines on other key issues for the local community, such as kerb-crawling, and I hope they will be equally receptive on this matter."

The couple's solicitor said they had been nave in selling the drink, but had co-operated fully and had since improved their vetting system.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said: "We do not tolerate the selling of alcohol to people under the age of 18.

"Our evidence is presented to the court and it is for them to decide the punishment."

The clerk to the justices at Teesside Magistrates' Court, Sian Jones, was unavailable for comment yesterday.