CIVIC bosses and health chiefs are joining forces with the police in an attempt to crack down on under-age drinkers across Fareham.

Organisers are hoping the collaboration between town council, health experts, Hampshire police and trading standards will stamp out the problem of under-age drinking and associated criminal behaviour once and for all.

The initiative "When Alco Goes Pop" is to go live this weekend when dedicated officers will target particular hot-spots around the borough where the problem of anti social behaviour has been reported.

For the past two years officers in Fareham have already been enforcing alcohol confiscation law combined with sending letters to parents of youngsters who persistently flout under-age drinking and anti social behaviour laws.

Now a questionnaire will be added to the letter home, aimed at assessing what help parents need in educating their children against alcohol abuse.

Park Gate Insp Stephen Havis said that although the operation had been a success a more unilateral approach was needed.

He said: "We have had success in that we have been enforcing the confiscation laws and making parents aware but we need to go further than that in getting to the root of the problem.

"The problem we have is that once we have dealt with one group of youngsters another batch of teenagers come through.

"Particularly in the Western Wards we have a migratory problem where once we have stamped out the problem in one area it simply moves to another.

"By educating and helping support the parents at home we stand a better chance of reducing the number of anti social behaviour incidents reported to us."

Last year more than 300 letters were issued to teenagers in connection with juvenile nuisance in the Western Wards alone.

For the next three months two officers will be tasked with visiting the borough's hot-spots, including Portchester, Fareham centre and across the wards within the Park Gate district, primarily at weekends in an effort to curb the escalating problem.

Fareham councillor Trevor Cartwright said: "We feel that by tackling the under-age drinking problem other inter-related problems like criminal damage and vandalism issues will also be solved.

"By involving all the partners we are addressing the problem from an educational point of view in terms of health and offering families help with support from home.

"It isn't just about enforcing the law but stopping the problem from happening in the first place."

In the new year the initiative will be assessed to see how effectively the problem is being tackled.

Fareham and Gosport Primary Care Trust will also be working closely in the partnership to hammer home the health problems of binge drinking while trading standards officers will help support licensees who often feel intimidated by large groups of youngsters demanding alcohol.

Police officers are also to visit schools across the borough to raise awareness about the negative affects of alcohol.