POSTERS are being distributed to a number of licensees across the Swale area in a bid to curb the problem of underage drinking.

The posters urge people to think twice before buying alcohol for under-18s and emphasises that doing so could result in the person receiving a £1,000 fine.

The organisation behind the initiative is The Community Safety Partnership (Swale CDRP).

It consists of all the agencies that serve the community in Swale, including the borough council, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, the police, housing associations, health authorities, the probation and youth offending service and voluntary sector.

The national initiative was spotted by a local shopkeeper in a magazine and brought to the attention of Val Wakeling, operations manager for the Swale Safe radio network. She gained funding from the Community Safety Partnership to have the posters adapted to promote a local angle and then printed.

Local wardens in the Minster area have distributed the posters.

Val Wakeling said: “This has come about at the request of local licensees who wanted to ensure that people buying alcohol from them were not doing so on behalf of the under eighteens.

"If anyone would like to display copies of the posters in their shop I would ask them to please contact me.”

Shopkeepers and licensees can contact her on 01795 417332 or e-mail valwakeling@swale.gov.uk