POLICE seized more than 530 litres of alcohol from teenagers during an eight-day crackdown on underage drinking.

Officers confiscated the equivalent of 838 pints of beer and lager, 24 pints of cider, more than six bottles of wine, 10 litres of vodka and other spirits, and 77 bottles of alcopops from underage drinkers in Oxfordshire.

The drinks were seized during a half-term holiday operation.

So much alcohol was confiscated it would not fit inside one room at St Aldate's police station, where it is stored before being poured away.

A warning letter has been sent to the parent of every child under 18 caught with alcohol.

Oxfordshire licensing co-ordinator Tony Cope said the results were higher than anticipated, but defended the county's teenagers' drinking record.

He said: "You could perceive from these results that we have a massive problem, but Oxfordshire is a large area and that may not be the case.

"Officers have also carried out confiscations before so had good knowledge of the areas where the teenagers like to drink.

"I think we had good intelligence, rather than the worst teenagers in the country."

The alcohol, which included dozens of cans of lager and crates of beer bottles, was seized between Friday, February 15, and Saturday, February 23. The cost of the illicit booze is estimated at almost £2,000.

Drink seizures were carried out across the country, but the Home Office said it would not have comparable figures until next week.

However, in Milton Keynes police found just 129 litres and in East Berkshire they found only 67 litres of alcohol.

Jackie Wilderspin, of Oxford Primary Care Trust, said: "Drinking just a small amount of alcohol can make young people feel sick, have blackouts or lose consciousness. Substantial amounts can cause alcohol poising and can be fatal."

Mr Cope said: "It's not only criminal damage, but personal danger through being drunk near roads, parks and rivers and getting into the drinking culture at a young age. We will continue to seize alcohol."