?A SUMMER campaign to tackle underage drinking has been successful, according to police.

A Stay Safe operation was ran throughout the school holidays in the Bishop Auckland area by officers from the neighbourhood police team, supported by County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and Durham County Council street wardens.

Patrols targeted young drinkers and associated anti-social behaviour with the primary aim being to keep young people safe.

They particularly focussed on water safety following a series of tragedies including the deaths of Cameron Gosling, 14, of Crook, in the River Wear near Bishop Auckland, in July, and teacher Wadud Abdul in the River Tees at Low Force, near Middleton-in-Teesdale, in May.

During patrols last Friday night (August 28), officers reported a noticeable reduction in the number of youths in the area which Sergeant Jayne Burdess-Hoseason said suggested the operation had worked.

She said: “We know that drinking alcohol makes children much more vulnerable, either at risk of harm from others or their surroundings.

"On this operation we also had representatives from the fire service there to help us share important water safety messages.

"It is encouraging that the numbers of children hanging around seems to be reducing.

“However, during Friday night’s patrols we did confiscate a number of alcoholic drinks, including 14 cans of lager.

"We have identified where those items were purchased, and enquiries are ongoing to establish whether we can prosecute either the store for selling to person under the age of 18, or the adult who passed them on to the youths we took them from.”