NEARLY 50 litres of alcohol were seized by police over the weekend as part of a crackdown on drinking and anti-social behaviour at a known hotspot near Dunbar.

Plain clothes police officers joined colleagues in uniform and members of East Lothian Council’s community warden team at John Muir Park and Lochend Woods.

John Muir Park has regularly been used by teenagers who are celebrating the end of their exams.

But in recent years there have been complaints regarding underage drinking, with about 200 people at the park’s Bullet Hill in 2016.

Police have patrolled the area after concerns at public meetings regarding underage drinking and the flouting of local bylaws involving drinking in a public place.

On Friday and Saturday, police and community wardens seized the alcohol from youngsters aged 14 to 21, with a variety of lager, cider and spirits, including 12 litres of vodka, taken.

Inspector Andrew Harborow said: “Every year around this time we are aware of youths congregating at Bullet Hill. Whilst this started out as an end-of-school celebration involving those mainly in S6, the ages of those taking part has clearly widened.

“In order to reduce the risk to those involved, we have taken action over the weekend and seized alcohol to prevent harm being caused and will be making follow-up enquiries with parents, carers and local shops as to where the alcohol came from.”

A council spokeswoman confirmed they had and would continue to work closely with police colleagues in “tackling anti-social behaviour in its many forms”.

She said: “This can involve action being taken against the individuals responsible for the behaviour itself, alongside engagement with parents or guardians when appropriate.

“On the back of operations like the one at Bullet Hill, we also work with colleagues from other council departments to co-ordinate the clean-up of any affected areas so that members of the public can continue to enjoy our open spaces without debris from anti-social behaviour.”