DRUNKS are set to be driven off the streets by shopkeepers refusing to sell them super-strength booze, say police.

They reckon winos wandering the town centre are growing in number and must be dried out by a selective ban. Now officers have written to off-licences and supermarkets asking them to keep strong alcohol behind the counter - forcing customers to come up and ask for it. If the shop keepers smell beery fumes they should refuse to serve them.

These strong-arm tactics are well within the law, according to Inspector Peter Tickle of Preston Police, and have already shown good results in Winchester when the scheme was tried last year.

He said: "The scheme would work by keeping high strength lagers behind the counter instead of on display. People would have to ask for them and if they were drunk they wouldn't get them.

"The habitual drunks would be well known to shop staff because they keep coming in, will smell of drink and it will be obvious who they are by their demeanour."

Insp Tickle added that that if this 'education phase' has no effect, offending shop-keepers will be prosecuted.

Julia Horn, general manager of Preston's Chamber of Trade, said she believe shop owners would comply with police requests.

She told the Citizen: "The Chamber would support any reasonable positive action that police take in October to the new year to keep the streets free from drunks."

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