A SCHEME aimed at controlling the sale of super strength lager at knock-down prices in Barnsley town centre has proved so successful it is to be repeated in other districts.
Some off-licences were known to be selling cans of East European lager with a nine per cent alcohol strength for as little as £1.28 per can, fuelling anti social behaviour problems.
But work by Barnsley Council's public health department, relying on voluntary co-operation from the businesses involved, has had a positive impact on reducing the problems caused.
Now they are planning to do the same in areas such as Wombwell, where similar problems are known to exist and which can deter shoppers from using the local stores.
Diane Lee, the council's head of public health, said the Reducing the Strength initiative had been introduced because of the behaviour of staff at some off-licences.
"There is European lager, nine per cent volume and £1.28 being sold in single cans. There is no doubt that alcohol has contributed to issues in the town centre.
"We have visited 40 off-licences to ask if they would be interested in stopping selling it or if they would stop selling it in single cans," she said.
The result had been "a slow burner" but was having a positive impact, to the point where staff now wanted to repeat the work in other areas.
There is also a scheme being used which allows beer cans to be marked before sale, so if they are discarded in the street, they can be traced back to the shop which sold it.
That could help contribute to action against businesses which could be in breach of their licence by selling to inappropriate individuals.
Diane said: "In Barnsley it tends to be street drinkers who cause the problems, where in the outer areas it is young people.
"What this does is change the culture of the shops, to stop selling it, or if they are selling it to do so at a reasonable price."
Some shops were known to stock strong beers without a marked price, charging different customers different prices.
She was speaking at a meeting of Barnsley Council's South Area Council and chairman Coun Mick Stowe said: "I think targeting the people who sell it has to be positive, anything we do we have to link with education."
Problems in Wombwell "come and go", he said: "Certainly there is an issue in Wombwell town centre. It may depend on whether certain individuals are around or not."
*A scheme called Best Bar None has also been introduced in Barnsley town centre to try to persuade the owners and managers of licensed premises to do more to run responsible businesses.
The aim is to encourage those who run bars and clubs to make sure staff are properly trained and the correct procedures are in place so their businesses operate in a way which keeps customers safe and minimises the risk of problems.
