CITY of York Council has cracked down on York off-licences selling alcohol to underage teenagers.

The authority has issued 21 formal cautions to licensees and sales staff in the city for supplying alcohol to a 15-year-old schoolgirl in the last three months of 2003. The council detected the offences with an ongoing test purchase programme devised to stamp out underage sales.

Meanwhile, Environmental Health and Trading Standards officers in York brought about six successful prosecutions at the end of 2003. Somerfield Stores Limited was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,160 in costs for selling food past its use-by date.

A woman was fined £150 with £200 in costs for operating an unlicensed cattery. She was originally banned from operating a cattery for two years, but the disqualification was overturned on appeal.

A computer software and music trader was fined £1,800 for making and distributing counterfeit music CDs, and a motor dealer was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs and £1,600 in compensation for advertising and supplying a car with a false mileage reading.

A man was convicted of illegal street trading and fined £45 with £55 costs, and a publican was fined £500 with £385 costs for hosting entertainment at a public house without a public entertainment licence.

A summary of the council's prosecutions is to go before members of the environment and sustainability advisory panel on Wednesday.

Updated: 08:50 Tuesday, February 10, 2004