UNDER-AGE children are stealing alcohol from shops in Westhoughton -- often by the crate-load -- before rampaging through the streets bringing heartache to residents.

Other youngsters are obtaining booze from private homes or from vans, being driven by rogue traders, around the streets.

Youngsters are resorting to theft or illegal purchases from unscrupulous householders after a police crackdown on the sales of alcohol to under-age drinkers.

These are the shocking facts after the BEN revealed last month that children as young as 12 are being offered bottles of alcohol for just 25p by "bootleggers" targeting the streets of Bolton -- particularly Westhoughton.

Bootleg

Sgt Ray Jackson, based at Westhoughton police station, said youngsters seem to "help themselves" to alcohol in shops.

"We get reports of young males walking out with crates," he said.

With regard to the van reported to be selling 25p bottles of bootleg beer, he said he has not seen "any signs" of it.

He said: "I'm a bit sceptical about it, but I'm keeping an open mind."

Janet Colley, from Westhoughton Youth Drop-in, said she was aware of the "bootleggers" adding that "it goes on constantly".

"Children know how to get hold of alcohol quite easily."

Apart from cars and vans "going round" selling booze, she also revealed that they are obtaining the booze by buying it from several private houses.

"People sell it from the door. They'll sell a bottle of vodka to the child and they have no qualms about what age they are."

She said the children who buy the booze have money and added that drinking has simply become "fashionable" for the young age group.

Sgt Jackson said a police craockdown on under-age drinking will continue.

"We've been at it for a long time but they are getting wise to it and run off, or the drinks get thrown away," he said. "But it's getting better.

"Complaints about alcohol are low. So it's working, the message is getting round."

A special police clampdown on youth crime and alcohol, codenamed Operation Classify, is now in place.

"We seem to have had a good effect," said Sgt Peter Sellers, who works on the operation in Bolton North (Breightmet, Halliwell, Tonge Fold, Tonge Moor, Smithills, Heaton and Johnson Fold).

"The initial intake of alcohol by these youngsters was enormous. We do the operation every weekend and last Friday it was at an absolute low.

"The areas where we get the problems were quiet. We are pretty certain we are hitting in the right direction."

Sgt Sellers' officers now seize alcohol in the early evening -- as they found youths already drunk by 8pm, with a peak in trouble around 9pm.

He admits the operation is "like learning to swim" as the team are constantly re-assessing how best to tackle the problem. The youngest children they have had to deal are between 11 and 12.

A favourite tipple is cheap wine -- at just over £1 a litre it's well within children's pocket money spending power.

When alcohol is seized from an under-aged drinker, Sgt Sellers writes a letter to the parents which is hand delivered by a local beat officer. This is done to prevent children intercepting the letter.

The officer will speak to the parents and, if the child is caught a second time, Sgt Sellers visits the house himself.

It could be a case of "a 14-year-old girl, drinking alcohol in the dark in a back street with all the lads," he said.

"She's vulnerable and it would be a neglect of duty if a police officer didn't make the parents aware."

He said that "90 per cent" of parents are "absolutely shocked" when a police officer tells them about their child's booze binges.

Frightened

They're also frightened about the fact their child is on the street, while they have usually been lead to believe he or she is at someone's house.

Luckily, the initial visit usually has the desired effect.

"Out of 200 seizures of alcohol, we've only had two repeats."

He said solutions have to come through a network approach of several agencies.

"A lot of people initially say: 'Build a youth club', but that would be the biggest waste of money because the kids are supervised there and they want to go out somewhere without being watched.

"We are working on ideas that have been used elsewhere, like shelters in quiet areas where we will monitor drinking.

"This will not happen overnight, but we are trying to break the culture down of 'saving up your money until Friday night, get a few cans and sit in the park.'

"We are quite aware that we've got to find out what kids want."