POLICE have criticised parents who gave their children alcohol so they could celebrate the end of exams.

Officers in Consett confiscated a huge amount of alcohol from teenagers on Friday night.

The hundreds of cans and bottles were taken as part of a robust response by Durham Constabulary to under-age drinking.

A quantity of drugs were also seized and adults who were found to have bought alcohol for the teenagers are to be hit with hefty fines.

The photograph was posted on Twitter by Consett Police with the message: "Do you know where your son and daughter have been this evening?"

This is the alcohol we have seized from 15 and 16-year-old pupils in Consett tonight.

"Alongside this cannabis was seized from a 16-year-old male and four £90 fines are to be issued to adults for supplying alcohol to children."

The Northern Echo:

PC Claire McNaney aka @AlcoHarmCop

Speaking to The Northern Echo afterwards, PC Claire McNaney, of Durham Constabulary's Alcohol Harm Reduction Unit, said Operation Staysafe was timed to coincide with the finish of school exams.

"A large amount of youths were stopped, most of them in possession of alcohol which was seized and will be disposed of," she said.

"Some of these youths were provided alcohol by their parents which we are finding quite common practice.

"These parents will be issued with £90 fixed penalty notices as it is still an offence to provide your child with alcohol if they are found in public.

"The concern we have is that these youths are drinking alcohol in secluded areas, in woods, near streams where they become more vulnerable due to their intoxication and environment.

"It's important to note that this is not the norm in County Durham and the majority of young people are choosing not to drink alcohol.

"I believe the scale of this was a one-off due to exams finishing, yet the vulnerability of these young people is still a concern to us.

"We would encourage parents to be mindful of this if they are thinking about providing their children with alcohol and/or dropping them off to party in the woods."

  • If you are concerned about underage drinking click here for help and advice.