Fosters and Carling are always trying to brand their products as cool, so if the appeal reaches under-age drinkers who also think those brands are cool then it’s part responsibility of the manufacturer to assist in that department. Granted, the stores and the individuals are also to blame and recently in a local small store it was the shop assistant that was fined in a sting by the authorities for supplying booze to under-age buyers.

As for getting scroungers and layabouts to do all the work of clearing up, I say cheers to that! We’re big fans here of getting the lazy on their hands and knees to scrape chewing gum off our pavements and scrub the graffiti off walls. Scummy jobs for the scumbags will make them think twice before allowing their slobby kids to go out and mess up our once clean neighbourhoods… we hope

If anything the items should be marked in such a way as to identify the shop where they were bought. Fine the shop instead.

This might disuade Tesco and the like from selling drinks to kids. I witnessed the other day, a young lad in a hoodie, looked no older than 16 buying four 3litre bottles of Strongbow cider and nothing else. He was in front of me at the checkout. The girl serving him chatted to him and clearly knew who he was. He wasn’t asked for ID and he walked straight out of the shop with his purchase. This was at 8:30pm and when I got outside he was handing the drink to a group of kids outside. Do you think those bottles will end up being placed nicely in a bin after consumption – I doubt it!! Tesco knows this happens and maybe if they faced tough fines they may start to impose self regulation. Seems unfair to fine the manufacturer in this case? other than they might potentially stop supplying Tesco.

On a different note, how about getting those un-employed, benefit claiming people to do these mundane tasks such as litter collection etc. Why should the taxpayers pay for them to sit at home watching daytime TV. I’m sure the government would have every taxpayers full support in imposing such a stipulation – you want benefits then you have to work for them. Local councils could then employ those on benefits instead of paying sky high prices to private companies for graffiti removal, litter clearance, path repairs, park maintenance etc, etc. They could then cut our council tax bills!! If nothing else it might prove a good incentive to make people find work.