Herefordshire Council's regulatory committee's decision to restrict licences on four shops found to have sold alcohol to underage purchasers has had a marked effect.
The four premises - The Local in Leominster, Spar in Leominster, Nisa in Kington and M&G Wines, Hereford - had their licences reviewed by the committee in May and had their licences suspended for varying periods of time, ranging from 24 hours to seven days.
During a recent survey carried out by Herefordshire Council's trading standards department and West Mercia Police, the four premises did not sell to under-age purchasers.
Councillor Brigadier Peter Jones, chairman of the regulatory committee, said at the meeting on Tuesday, October 7: "We take our responsibilities as a licensing authority very seriously and will suspend, or even revoke licences, if people persistently break the law.
"I am glad these four premises are now complying with the law and have the correct procedures in place to prevent underage sales from happening in the future.
"The latest survey did, however, reveal that 19 out of 56 shops tested were found to be selling alcohol to under age test purchasers and it is clear we still have some work to do in getting the message across," he added.
West Mercia Police are likely to be seeking licence reviews on three premises and this will be dealt with by the regulatory committee at a future meeting.