Parents Bribe Kids With Alcohol

6 May 2011, 16:05 | Updated: 6 May 2011, 16:15

Some parents are using alcohol to bribe their kids to go to school, Heart has found out.

Suffolk Trading Standards were carrying out routine checks on shops to try and tackle under age drinking when they made the discovery.
 
Mark Titford, Principal Trading Standards Officer said, "I had a discussion with a local Community Safety Officer and they were aware of an incident where a parent of a youngster had given a four pack of lager at the end of the week as a reward for good attendance at school"

"This is something which is hugely disappointing to us, the health implications of getting youngsters involved in drinking alcohol at such a young age is awful and the message that is sending out to the youngster is terrible"

"Whilst it's completely within our resources to go to shops where we have intelligence that under aged sales of alcohol are taking place, but when it's the parents, it's very difficult for us to try and combat it."

 "We ran a campaign in West Suffolk and ten or twelve parents were prepared to buy on the behalf of the under aged volunteers."

Anyone caught carrying out a proxy sale, when someone over eighteen buys alcohol on behalf of for someone who is under eighteen, is a criminal offence and if someone is found to do that they could be fined up to £5000.