Three pubs and two takeaways in Biggleswade must pay £90 penalties after they agreed to sell alcohol to underage mystery shoppers on Friday.

Licensing and community safety officers carried out test purchases of alcohol as part of a county-wide action day, with the help of Beds police cadets.

And the town fared worse than either Luton or Bedford, with half of the businesses tested in Biggleswade failing.

Sgt Craig Gurr said: “We are really pleased with the results of the test purchases in Luton and Bedford, though disappointed that half of the Biggleswade locations failed.

“It’s not acceptable to sell alcohol to those underage, and we will continue to hold days of action such as this to tackle this important issue.”

Councillor David Lawrence, who represents Biggleswade South ward on Central Bedfordshire Council, told the Comet: “I’m glad that this is taking place, but I think the difficulty here is that the fine isn’t sufficient to stop it. It isn’t strong enough.

“I’m glad they’re checking, but we need stronger enforcement of it as well. The fine, compared to the profits they’re making, is too small.”

One pub and two off-licences failed in Luton, while in Bedford all passed apart from one off-licence.

If you’re interested in joining the Beds police cadets and helping with operations like this, see bedfordshire.police.uk/recruitment/police_cadets.aspx