Street patrols, underage test purchases and self esteem sessions are some of the plans put forward to combat underage drinking in Oswestry.

The Oswestry Community Alcohol Partnership (Os-Cap) officially launched in the town yesterday with a meeting attended by about 40 people from various organisations.

Now a number of initiatives have been set up to help tackle the problem and its wider effects.

Councillor Vince Hunt said: “Youngsters will always drink, they always find a way of doing it. It is now about not making it a cool thing to do.”

Frank Francis, chairman of Oswestry Pubwatch, said his group would start an underage ID scheme to encourage licensees to be more vigilant.

Young-looking 18-year-olds would be used to buy alcohol in the town to test if their age was questioned.

Mr Francis said: “For a couple of months they will be going round doing test purchases to bring awareness to premises.

“If people serve someone without ID who looks under 18 they won’t be breaking the law but it will highlight the need to be more vigilant.”

Gavin Hogarth, from Drug and Alcohol Action at Shropshire Council, said the issue would also be targeted through schools and colleges.

“We will give information about alcohol awareness and create diversionary activities.

“We will also focus on self esteem through the colleges and schools.”

Frances Darling, Shropshire Council trading standards manager and chair of Os-Cap, said the group representatives would be going on patrols around the town on Saturday evenings in the summer.

Philip Loring, community alcohol partnership officer from the Retail of Alcohol Standards Group, said it was important to include traders in the town.

He said: “The retailers and the traders are seen as part of the solution not part of the problem. Everybody will work together to understand what position we take and what we are going to give to the scheme.”

A survey was carried out before the launch of the group to gauge people’s perception of underage drinking.

A second one would be carried out again at the end of the scheme.

Alan Cartwright, committee member from Oswestry Youth Cafe, said: “It is good that this group has started.”