A LANDLORD whose pub sold alcohol to a 13-year-old girl has called on police to leave publicans alone and target supermarkets, which he claims are supplying teenagers with drink.

The Waterwitch, in Cockcroft Road, Didcot, is the latest in a series of licensed premises to fail undercover test-purchasing operations organised by the police.

Landlord Roy Moule, who has managed pubs for the past 15 years, has called for officers to switch their attention to shops selling alcohol to teenagers, rather than trying to catch out pubs. But police said they would continue to target pubs until they stop getting caught selling alcohol to under-18s.

In the past year, at least 41 fines and 18 written warnings have been issued to licensed premises in the county for failing test-purchasing operations. Three are on final warnings and could have their licences suspended if they get in trouble again.

Mr Moule said: "The police came here with a couple of kids all dressed up and looking much older than 18. Everyone thought they looked older.

"I feel this is entrapment. There's going to be a lot of good landlords losing their licences because of this. But it's the supermarkets and shops the police need to be stopping. These kids out in the street drunk, effing and blinding and causing havoc every weekend, haven't been drinking in pubs.

"They've got their drink from shops. You see them staggering around most nights carrying drink they've bought and it's not from the pubs."

Police denied their test-purchasing operations, which are now carried out weekly, are a form of entrapment. Tony Cope, the force's licensing officer for Oxfordshire, said the Waterwitch sold alcohol to a 13-year-old girl.

He said: "The fact of the matter is we always target premises where we have intelligence of underage drinking, regardless of whether it is a pub, restaurant, supermarket or off-licence.

"We target as many, if not more, supermarkets and off-licences, as well as pubs. We're not going to leave one section of the business alone, because they think another section is worse.

"These places do not have a leg to stand on if two 14-year-olds go in and get served. In fact, in this case, the girl was 13.

"We never use anybody who looks 18 and they don't dress up to look older. If a premises cannot recognise the fact a 13-year-old girl is not 18, you have to ask if it should be in business. If they think a 13-year-old girl is 19 or 20, then they're not paying enough attention."

Five out of 11 pubs and licensed premises visited during test purchases in Thame last week failed.