| A SWOOP on 28 pubs in the Newbury area found no under-age drinkers - because they still prefer drinking in parks and street corners, police said recently.
Trading standards officers and police checked the 28 random establishments, but found no one under 18 was drinking alcohol.
Evidence of heavy drinking among the nation’s teens are causing concern locally, but trading standards officials said they would continue to monitor pubs all year round.
Thames Valley Police Inspector Peter Edwards said his main concern was still under-age boozing in places such as City playground, Wash Common rec, and outside convenience stores on the estates around Newbury.
“We were very pleased with the results having found little or no evidence of underage drinking in licensed premises,” he said. “However, officers on patrol are still seizing large amounts of alcohol from underage children in public places. We recognize this concern locally, and will look at other ways to work with our partners to deal with this problem.” | 
