I wonder if Police dip-sticks target drinkers will apply in Uttoxeter, Rocester and Alton too. If so twenty five years ago and it could have been me. Maybe not anti-social as such, but yes, while every so often someone would chunder, getting into the local town to get some booze (especially at the ends of terms) was a school tradition as I am sure it was everywhere else (remember young Prince Charles and the cherry brandy incident?).

I'm not sure I agree with these sorts of intrusions into teen life, but sometimes I guess, they want to be seen to be doing something - I'm sure in my day if we were obviously drunk we would simply be bunged in the back of the police car and taken to the merciless punishment of our housemaster or parents or something, or the cells if we were uncooperative.

I still remember with a mixture of fear and pride getting a taxi back to school with a box of mixed alcohol on my lap - and I mean everything - we were into "punch" at sixteen - made with everything, anything you could get hold of, and the more different drinks mixed in the better, the more manly.

Suddenly, trundling round the lanes north of Uttoxeter and only a mile or so from the relative "safety" of school blue lights came on behind us. "Bugger - we're busted" we thought. The police car pulled up alongside and waved the taxi down. We cowered, trying to hide our bags and boxes.

"Coming for a pint after" yelled the policeman at the taxi driver. It was his brother in law, and the taxi-driver was trying desperately not to piss himself seeing us dropping our loads!