A BOLTON off-licence owner was forced to close his shop for a night because of the numbers of children trying to buy vodka.

Andrew Clarke, of Bridge Wines, Blackburn Road, wants a compulsory "proof of age" scheme introduced to help cut Bolton's under-age drinking problem.

As the BEN reported earlier this week, three or four youngsters are being taken to the accident and emergency department at the Royal Bolton Hospital every week, unconscious after drinking alcohol.

Unfortunately, there is no method of collating figures, locally or nationally, over the problem and support agencies are rare.

Mr Clarke saidt a "proof of age" scheme was in place in America "and should be installed in this country".

He also hit out at adults who buy drink for youngsters. "They are putting children's lives at risk and exacerbating the problem," he said.

"There have been times when someone has come into my shop to buy cans of lager, bottles of cider and about a dozen alcopops.

"I always ask: 'Is all this for you?' and they usually say they are having a party or a barbecue. What can I do? I can't refuse to serve everyone who does that or I might as well close my business altogether.

"I did close my shop for one night because of kids coming in trying to buy vodka," said Mr Clarke. "And I keep a log book of names of people I've barred because they tried to buy alcohol for kids. But it's a constant struggle.

"I know there are some off-licences which do sell to minors, and, sadly, they get us all tarred with the same brush."

"But I urge everybody to think again if they are ever asked on the street to buy alcohol for somebody. If they were old enough, they could buy it themselves."

Police in the Astley Bridge sub-division are clamping down on under-age drinking, using an effective campaign codenamed Operation Classify. It was operating every weekend, but is now used on a less regular basis.

The clampdown has proved effective in the Bolton North area, which includes Breightmet, Halliwell, Tonge Fold, Tonge Moor, Smithills, Heaton and Johnson Fold.

The main concern of police is finding out where the youngsters are buying their alcohol, as it is an offence to sell to anyone under the age of 18.

A police spokesman said that when a youngster was found in possession of alcohol, a letter is delivered by hand to his or her parents by police.

Very often, this brings things to a head and the problem is dealt with quickly. But if they continued to be found in possession of drink, they would be referred to "an appropriate agency".