Taken from the front page of the herald express and hemeltoday.com: Children get drunk in disused pub Youngsters break into boarded-up Lime Kiln and find bar stocked A gang of young teenagers spent several hours getting completely sozzled after breaking into a disused pub. The Lime Kiln in Hemel Hempstead was closed and boarded up before Christmas. But incredibly, the bar was left stocked. It is understood the youngsters became so drunk on beer that they were unable to flee when they set off an alarm. Police who swooped on the scene arrested three 16-year-olds who were taken to Hemel Hempstead Police Station and kept in cells overnight. The parents of the youths were also contacted. It is believed that a group of seven teenagers initially forced their way into the the pub on St Albans Hill at around 7.30pm on Thursday evening. But it was some hours before the pub's alarm was triggered. While four of the youths fled before police arrived, the remaining three were so inebriated that they stayed inside the pub. Herts Police refused to comment on the state of the three boys that they arrested at about 11pm but they confirmed beer had been taken. Herts Police said it was the responsibility of the landlord or the brewery to ensure anything of value was removed from the pub and that the building was secure. A spokesman said: "Our advice to them would be that they should take out everything of value." The leaseholder of the pub, London and Edinburgh Inns Ltd, went into administration last September. Administrator Ernst and Young was appointed to run the business but a spokesman at the firm said it had surrendered involvement on September 29. She added it had handed the keys back to the landlord, but refused to provide contact details. The pub is now being advertised for sale and is described as a 'large community public house' with a garden and children's play area. Police have been trying to tackle the problem of underage drinking with a series of booze bans around the town. These no-alcohol zones give police the powers to seize alcohol from individuals drinking in streets and parks. Zones have been introduced in the town centre, Jarman Park, Apsley and Boxmoor. Three teenagers from Hemel Hempstead arrested on suspicion of burglary have been bailed to return to Hemel Hempstead Police Station on Sunday, February 18. Wonderful stuff, i'm delighted it made front page as they deserve the publicity, lets face it they'll get off with a caution and perhaps the odd spot of communtiy service but i can garauntee it will have been WORTH IT.
I did a similar thing in a boarded up offy somewhere in London in 1992. I got ratarsed on some cans of Long Life which incidently had best before dates of about 1982.
