BOOZE laws intended to stop drunken disorder are not being put into action, according to research by a drinks industry body.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association’s (WSTA) figures revealed that Wiltshire Police has hardly enforced the rules to stop children buying booze.

Between 2002 and 2006 Wiltshire Police did not prosecute a single juvenile for trying to buy alcohol.

Only two adults who bought drink from a shop for children during 2006 were fined and not a single adult who bought booze for youngsters in a pub or nightclub in the whole of 2005 and 2006 was prosecuted.

Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the WSTA, said: “Tough talk about action to curb underage drinking means nothing if we don’t enforce the laws we have.

“We do not need more legislation, we need the Government to provide the police with the resources they need to get out on the streets and enforce the laws we have.”

The police have a range of laws they can use to stop drink-related anti-social behaviour.

“As well as having powers of arrest, and the ability to seek anti-social behaviour orders and acceptable behaviour contracts on persistent nuisance drinkers, since 2004 Swindon police officers have had the power to hand out on the spot fines for a range drink related offences.”

The £80 fixed penalty notices can be issued to anyone caught being drunk and disorderly, selling alcohol to a person who is drunk, or supplying alcohol to a child. Fines of £50 can be dished out for £50 penalty being drunk in a highway, other public place or licensed premises, consuming alcohol in a designated public place – such as Swindon town centre, or to a person under 18 buying alcohol.

Earlier this week Swindon Trading Standards revealed the town’s off-licences are sharpening up their act on underage sales. Undercover teenagers visited all of the 115 off-licences in Swindon and only five sold the youngsters booze.

Police were not available to explain why there had been so few prosecutions.