Cambridgeshire police and Peterborough City Council have teamed up to launch an operation to crack down on those who supply alcohol to children.

The move comes after police seized 20 litres of booze from a group of rowdy youngsters found causing a nuisance in a quiet residential area in Orton Waterville.

One person was arrested during the disturbance, in Church Drive, on Thursday, and fined £80 for a public order offence.

Inspector Karryann Beeby today warned that officers would tackle anyone caught buying alcohol for minors and would prosecute if necessary.

She said: "This is a problem we have every summer.

"A couple of youngsters drinking are like magnet to others in the area, and soon you get a group congregating and, possibly for the first time, engaging in anti-social behaviour.

"We want to reinforce the message that it is a criminal offence to serve or buy alcohol for a minor, and minors caught will have their alcohol confiscated."

Officers are fighting the scourge of under-age drinking in various ways, such as tracking down where alcohol has been purchased using serial numbers on containers.

The council is also urging members of the public to tell them about shops or pubs where they suspect the illegal buying or serving of alcohol is occurring.

Council licensing enforcement officer Darren Dolby said: "We are working with the police in organising test purchases at repeat offenders' premises.

"We also offer supermarkets our full support and advice in helping them find courses to train their staff, and advise them in the use of initiatives such as the Challenge 21 scheme and pinpointing the right sort of identification to ask for."

Co-owner of the Sheri Food Store, in Church Drive, Santosh Kaur said: "The group hanging around were not from this area.

"We had a problem with our drink licence last year, so we are really careful who we sell to.

"It seems to be older people are buying the drink and then giving it to the younger ones.

"It's a lovely area to live and we don't want our customers worried."

Police warn youths they will be targeting the area in the coming weeks to prevent any reoccurrences of the incident.

n Anyone who suspects a business or public house of selling alcohol illegally should call the city council on 01733 453561, or police on 0845 456 4564.