Off-licence group urgesteen drink crackdown

TOUGHER measures need to be introduced to combat underage drinking, the National Off-Licence Association (NOFLA) said yesterday.

The NOFLA annual conference heard that the growing problem of adults buying drink for teenagers can only be tackled if new laws, and stiffer penalties, are introduced.

According to NOFLA, which represents a third of all off-licenses in Ireland, around a dozen people have been prosecuted for the offence, but in all the charges were dropped because of technicalities.