THE GOVERNMENT has dropped plans to ban or increase the tax on alcopops in favour of tough new controls on their sale, marketing, and advertising.

Final details of a deal between ministers and the drinks industry will be hammered out in the next two weeks.

A special ministerial committee chaired by Home Office minister George Howarth has been examining what to do about the highly alcoholic "designer" soft drinks for six weeks.

The move was sparked when Home Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw heard about the torching of Withins School in Bolton by 14-year-old boy drunk on alcopops.

Originally, ministers considered a ban or heavy tax but the difficulty was defining alcopops so that other beverages such as cider and shandy were not caught in then net.

Instead, the drinks industry has come up with a package of proposals that the committee thinks will work.

The keys to new strategy being drawn up are making the drinks more difficult for under 18s to buy and changing the whole marketing strategy which ministers believe is now targeted on 15 to 16 years olds - especially girls.

Changes to the names and packaging of the drinks are being demanded.

Ministers want the bright colours removed and some action to tone down the sugariness that attracts youngsters to the drinks.

The advertising - which currently uses cult teenage images and language will also have to change dramatically.

The number and range of outlets where the drinks are sold is due to be restricted.

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