AN UNDERAGE person was caught serving alcohol behind the bar of a Newport pub.

He was caught in a joint police and council operation in Maindee, which ran from the end of June and finished last week.

In that time, five pubs were dealt with for breaching licensing laws.

The most serious of these was an underage person caught working behind the bar of a pub.

Six door staff were caught working illegally and were reported to the council.

Police also carried out 38 stop-searches.

Although the operation concentrated on alcohol-related crime, in all 14 people were arrested: four for public order offences, two for thefts from motor vehicles, one for possession of amphetamine, one for being drunk and disorderly, two people wanted on bail warrants and one who was recalled to prison.

Maindee Neighbourhood Policing Team officers also carried out high-visibility patrols in busy areas at key times to deter anti-social behaviour.

Pc Andy Lewis, of Maindee Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Many of the crimes people tell us they want us to address stem from the consumption of alcohol.

“During Operation Adonis we visited a large number of pubs in the Maindee area and checks on licensed premises will continue.

“We want to send out the message that anyone who sells alcohol to underage youngsters, or flouts licensing laws, will be positively dealt with.”

Underage booze sales widespread

MORE than 40 per cent of licensed premises checked in a test purchase operation in Blaenau Gwent sold alcohol to underage customers.

Young volunteers working for Blaenau Gwent council and Gwent Police visited 19 licensed premises on August 26 and September 2.

Eight out of the 19 sold alcohol to the 16-year-old volunteers.

Before the operation the council sent out educational packs to licensed shops outlining the penalties for selling alcohol to underage customers.

Despite this, nearly half the premises visited ignored the warnings.

Police officers issued fixed penalty notices to those found selling to underage volunteers.

The council’s Trading Standards officers will decide if further action is necessary. Cllr Keith Barnes, Blaenau Gwent council’s executive member for the environment, said the results were disappointing.

He said the council was now likely to carry out similar operations in the future.