A Hartlepool based project which works to successfully tackle underage drinking has dealt with 126 young people within the past year, and some were as young as ten years old.

The Straight-Line project aims to educate youngsters about the impact of alcohol on their health and future lifestyle.

Young people who have been caught drinking underage by the police are referred to the scheme. Project staff will arrange a home visit with parents to discuss their child’s underage drinking.

They are then given the opportunity to attend a voluntary workshop which shows them the different problems alcohol can cause.

Referrals can also be made by school nurses, the Youth Offending Service, A&E and by parents themselves.

Sharon Robson from Straight-Line said: “Drinking alcohol at an early age causes lots of problems, not just for the young person but for society.

“We have worked with some very young children but we see it as a positive step forward that they have been identified and referred to us for help.

“Parents are key to the success of the project. When we talk to them the majority are unaware of their child’s alcohol use and were oblivious to what they were doing when they were going out on an evening.

“We wanted to provide more support to parents and are now giving them the opportunity to refer their child to the project.”

Straight-Line is now in its fourth year and is a project funded by the Safer Hartlepool Partnership as part of their overall strategy to reduce crime and drug misuse.