POLICE are calling for Dorchester's Tesco store to be banned from selling alcohol.

It follows a test purchase exercise in March in which Dorset trading standards officers caught the store selling an alcopop drink to a 15-year-old girl.

The young volunteer bought an orange flavoured Bacardi Breezer without being asked for proof she was 18.

The 17-year-old checkout girl serving the customer cleared the alcohol sale with a senior member of staff, who also failed to ask for identification.

Now police are calling for the store to have its alcohol licence revoked.

In a letter to West Dorset District Council's licensing sub committee, police licensing officer Karen O'Donnell accused it of incompetent practice'.

She said: "Test purchase exercises are conducted on a regular basis throughout Dorset. On occasions the exercise may be in response to complaints regarding public nuisance and reports of under age drinking.

"Tesco stores is within easy reach of Dorchester town centre and surrounding areas, where groups of young local people tend to congregate.

"There are regularly incidents in the vicinity involving youths, alcohol and anti-social behaviour, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings."

She added that the sale of alcohol to a minor was not acceptable under any circumstances' and she recommended that the store have its licence revoked.

West Dorset District Council's licensing sub-committee will decide what to do at a meeting on Thursday.

Principal trading standards officer Mike Webber said that possible action the committee could take included suspending or revoking the Dorchester store's licence or writing new conditions into the agreement.

Alternatively, councillors could decide to take no further action.

A report by Dorset trading standards states: "It can be seen that the systems in place at Tesco, Dorchester, are not being implemented to a sufficient level to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.

"Although Tesco Stores Plc provide a comprehensive training package to their staff which is regularly updated, there is a discrepancy in the understanding of who is responsible for checking for identification when the checkout assistant is themselves a minor."

It added: "Dorset County Council trading standards service feels that the premises is actively undermining the licensing objectives of the protection of children from harm."

A Tesco spokesman said the company was unable to fully comment on the incident until after next week's meeting.

He added: "We take our responsibilities towards the sale of alcohol extremely seriously."