Increased fines for under-age sales
Government figures have revealed that fines for selling alcohol to children have become much steeper in recent years.
Although police are tending to deal with such offences with penalty notices for disorder, rather than pursuing cases in court, those who are found guilty in formal hearings can expect more severe punishment than was once the case.
In 2008, the average fine for selling alcohol to a person under 18 on the premises was £376, a £100 increase on the previous year's figure.
For the offence of selling alcohol to a person under 18, the average fine was £378 - not significantly above the 2007 figure but well beyond the 2004 average of £206.
Those convicted of a third variation of the crime - allowing sale of alcohol to a minor - were fined on average £603, compared to £276 in 2006.
The figures were given by Home Office minister Alan Campbell in response to a question by Tory MP Tobias Ellwood.
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