SHOPS in a Hampshire village have raised the age limit for buying booze to 25 at weekends in a bid to cut anti-social behaviour.

Most of the Stubbington's stores and off licences signed up to the pilot project, which started last week.

For the next six months, between 6pm on Thursdays and the end of trading on Sunday evenings those in their late teens and early twenties will be unable to buy any sort of alcohol from several.

They can still buy drink in the village's pubs.

The scheme has been introduced at the request of police, who say they can confiscate anywhere up to 1,000 bottles and cans from youngsters in a week, and are determined to stamp out underage drinking in the area.

Drunken youngsters congregating in the village centre have been blamed for heaping misery on residents, and officers say they think young adults are responsible for buying minors their booze.

Crofton News and Booze in Gosport Road is one of the shops to sign up to the initiative.

A spokeswoman told the Daily Echo the early indications are that the scheme was popular in the village.

The scheme is due to be reviewed after six weeks.