You could be fined £1,000 for buying alcohol for drunk friends

Drinkers in Liverpool are being warned they could face fines of £1,000 for buying alcohol for a “clearly drunk” friend.

Bar staff could also be fined the same amount for serving people who appear drunk.

The warning comes in after the introduction of the Merseyside Police scheme “Drink Less Enjoy More.” –

The campaign is aimed at 18-30 year-olds and is trying to encourage young people to cut back on pre-drinking before they go out, as well as reduce the amount of alcohol consumed in pubs, bars and clubs.

No more drinking for you Honey Bumpkin

The Merseyside Police campaign hopes to raise awareness of the 2003 Licensing Act which states it is illegal to to buy alcohol for someone who is clearly drunk, and it is illegal for bar staff to serve a clearly drunk person. Both offences are punishable with a fine up to £1,000.

So far, two bars have received advice about selling alcohol to friends of clearly drunk people, and three other bars will receive letters from the Police this weekend.

This is the second campaign in two years that has attempted to curb Liverpool’s (and mostly students’) appetite for heavy drinking.

Last year bar bouncers, including  those at Soho in Concert Square, were forced to breathalyse people they thought were too drunk.

Back then, 89 per cent of Tab Liverpool readers voted bouncers shouldn’t have the power to breathalyse you.

Second year history student Colleen Smith relegated the campaign to the pile of failed schemes focused on student drinking in the past years, telling The Tab: “I can see why the police would think it’s a sensible idea.

“However, if I was drunk and received that fine I’d be very angry because all I’m trying to do is buy people sambuca shots. I doubt it’ll take off.”

No more drinks for you my friends

Neighbourhood Inspector Steve Hardy said: “Merseyside Police is committed to reducing violent crime and making the streets safe and if successful, this initiative should help to make Liverpool an even safer place for locals and visitors alike to enjoy a night out.”

The campaign is a joint scheme between the police, Liverpool Council, CitySafe and the Liverpool NHS Clinical Commissioning Group.