NEARLY a third of local convenience stores which have suffered violent crime as the result of alcohol abuse have been the victims of more than five attacks in the last year, according to a report out this week.

A study of more than 500 independent retailers found that local stores are being targeted time and again, with alcohol-related violent crime a factor in 72 per cent of reported incidents.

The research, carried out by Independent Retail News, said that 93 per cent of the shop owners polled said they had been a victim of violent crime in the last year.

But Alton does not appear to be a town that suffers from this sort of problem.

Sue Miles, deputy manager at the Co-op, attributes the lack of alcohol-fuelled incidents in her store to the fact that it closes before "the pubs kick out".

Children aged between 15 and 17 trying to buy drink are the main causes of grief, she said.

"Our company has a big policy about under-age drinking. If they look under 21, we ask for proof-of-age. They're really clamping down on it hard, which is a good thing."

The children are easily dealt with, but there can be minor consequences.

A "minimal" amount of harassment can result from turning away youngsters intent on buying drink, but it generally only extends to name-calling.

But, she added: "Most of them realise that we won't tolerate things like that, so they don't try."

Archie Hussain, who co-manages newsagent Porter's, also agreed that violent crime is not an issue, but that verbal harassment is an infrequent occurrence.

"We have a couple of drunken people come in and buy things and act a bit silly occasionally, but that's about it," he said.

Even the town-centre off-licences, where you might imagine more alcohol-related incidents to happen, have a peaceful story to tell.

Kelvin Boyle, manager of Oddbins, said he has never experienced any violent incidents in the two-and-a-half years he has been at the shop.

Underage drinkers trying to purchase alcohol occasionally "get a bit cocky", but because the shop does not stay open late, they often go elsewhere.

Tom Datchens, a local student, works around 20 hours a week as a shop assistant at Threshers and said that underage drinkers come in "all the time". Again, any confrontations do not escalate into anything physical.

"Occasionally they're abusive," he said, "but it's usually just 14-year-old girls who are just fed up because they can't get served cigarettes."

Do local supermarkets tell a similar story?

"In regard to people getting a bit vocal and swearing, yes," said Dave Harding, deputy manager at Somerfield. In terms of violence, however, the story remains the same.

Alcohol-related violence is just not something that staff in the store have to contend with.

They frequently turn away youngsters on a Friday and Saturday night, and are trained so as not to provoke people who are refused alcohol.