An initiative aimed at stopping adults from buying alcohol for minors is to be launched in Hampshire.

Developed by the Southern Co-operative in partnership with Portsmouth City Council and Hampshire Police, the Buckland Partnership Alcohol Concern Project aims to tackle the problem of alcohol misuse by under 18s in the Buckland area of Portsmouth by raising awareness among adults of the consequences of them obtaining alcohol for underage people.

The first part of the initiative is the production of a leaflet by the project partners under guidance from the government’s Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. The leaflet will be delivered to every resident in the Buckland area to inform and educate them about the dangers of alcohol abuse among minors.

Southern Co-operative loss prevention manager Gareth Lewis said: “It’s clear there is a lack of awareness among adults that supplying an underage person with alcohol is a criminal offence. “All the parties agreed that a series of measures should be taken to highlight to adults the effect of their actions and that they carried a heavy fine or a prison sentence.”