In Brief.

(From Off Licence News)

Scottish shops ban under-21s Three towns in Scotland have banned the sale of alcohol to under-21s as part of a six-week trial to reduce antisocial behaviour. All 11 off-licences in Armadale, West Lothian, have agreed to not sell to under-21s on Fridays and Saturdays between the 5pm and 10pm. The two neighbouring towns of Larbert and Stenhousemuir also have adopted the scheme, with 13 off-licences not selling to anyone under 21. "It's too early to say if this project will be rolled out across other areas in West Lothian, but we will record and assess the results of this pilot project and consider the options," councillor Isabel Hutton said.

Perfect test purchase results Retailers in south Gloucestershire have been praised after a joint police and Trading Standards test-purchasing operation found none of them were prepared to sell alcohol to under-18s. On March 15 between 2pm and 10pm, under-age volunteers went into 18 off-licences, supermarkets and convenience stores in Downend, Emersons Green, Hanham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Staple Hill and Warmley. Neighbourhood PC Louise Dembicki said: "We were delighted to find that all the shop staff had heeded our warnings and refused to sell alcohol to our test purchasers." Birmingham robber sought Police are hunting a man who stole cash and cigarettes ...