ONE in three Oxfordshire shops targeted in a underage booze sting were caught selling alcohol to teenagers.

Volunteers, aged between 13 and 15, tested 25 shops across the county, with the youngsters in eight of those shops being sold alcopops and lager.

Oxfordshire trading standards and police issued the shop assistants at all eight stores with £80 fines.

Nigel Strick, head of Oxfordshire Trading Standards, branded the results "extremely worrying and disappointing", vowing to continue to take strong action against offenders.

Among the shops which sold alcohol to the teenagers was the Co-op in Longelandes Way, Banbury.

Mr Strick said: "Several weeks ago we publicised the new zero tolerance approach we are taking to prevent sales of alcohol to under 18s.

"That means if alcohol is sold to someone under 18, the seller faces an immediate penalty.

"This is the first enforcement campaign under this approach and the results were extremely worrying and disappointing."

Most of the stores were apologetic.

Adrian Barradell, spokesman for the Co-op's Banbury store, said: "This was a regrettable and unusual mistake by a Co-op store.

"We have a detailed training programme and refusal log for this issue. Normally, no alcohol would be sold to an individual who looks under 21 unless they have ID."