Teens 'roaming town at night'

Teenagers as young as 14 and 15 are roaming the streets of Oswestry in the early hours, police said today.Parents were horrified to find out where their children were when informed by officers.

Fears have also been raised that the vulnerable youngsters are getting caught up in anti-social behaviour.

Today the head of the town's police urged parents to ensure they know where their children are.

Inspector Jim Stafford said that when he rang the parents after questioning some of the under-16s, they had been horrified to find their youngsters had been on the streets.

The amount of young teenagers still on the streets of the town centre after midnight, particularly at weekends, was revealed at a meeting of the Oswestry Town local joint committee - a meeting of county, borough and town representatives. Members raised questions about underage drinking in Oswestry.

Inspector Stafford said Oswestry was seen as something of a success story in stopping drink being sold by pubs and off-licences to under 18-year-olds - but decided to check out the late-night situation himself following reports of dozens of young teenagers on the streets until the early hours.

"The last Trading Standards check on selling to underage purchasers found not one off-licence willing to sell alcohol," he said.

"However, it is obvious from seeing the behaviour of these young people some of them are getting hold of alcohol from somewhere, often before they come out.

"But, whether or not they have been drinking, these young people are on the streets when the pubs and clubs are closing.

"They are putting themselves in situations and places where fights could break out and they could be in danger.

"I spoke to about half a dozen young people who should not have been out at that time in the morning, then rang their parents immediately.

"All said they had been told their son or daughter was staying the night at a friend's house and were completely unaware they were not safely tucked up in bed.

"If your teenager says he or she is going to stay the night with a friend, check with that friend's parents."

By Sue Austin