During the course of the weekend they encountered a significant number of young people who were either under the influence of alcohol or had booze with them.

On Friday, a 15-year-old girl required treatment from ambulance staff because of the level of her drunkenness.

Police officers confiscated about 22 litres of alcohol during the weekend.

In addition, various off-sales premises the town received visits from the Task Force and Trading Standards officers to highlight the issues surrounding under-age drinking and remind licensees of their responsibilities under licensing laws.

During Friday, officers came across 27 young people who were either under the influence of alcohol, or in possession of alcohol. All were warned about their behaviour in front of their parents or guardians.

The majority of them were also taken to Arbroath Police Station where representatives from Tayside Council on Alcohol, the Web Project and Community Learning and Development were on hand to provide advice and support for those involved.

Community Safety Inspector Ron McNaughton said: "We have had a continued and well-publicised focus on under-age drinking. The fact that we are still finding significant numbers of children in Arbroath either with or under the influence of alcohol shows that the problem persists and that our efforts must continue.

"Having additional officers available in the form of the Community Task Force has allowed us to approach the issue in a different way by working with our partners from Trading Standards, Tayside Council on Alcohol, the Web Project and Community Learning and Development in an attempt to deal with some of the core issues associated with under-age drinking."

He continued: "Whilst clearly not all youngsters are involved in this type of behaviour, alcohol misuse amongst young people continues to be a serious problem facing our community.

"Incidents of vandalism and anti-social behaviour often occur as a result of children misusing alcohol. Furthermore, they are putting themselves at risk as Friday's treatment of an intoxicated 15-year-old girl highlights.

"I appeal to parents to take the time to find out where their children are, what they are doing and who they are with. If their child comes home smelling of booze, they should make it their business to challenge them about it.

"Clearly the young people we encountered over the weekend had no difficulty in sourcing alcohol. I would urge anyone who has any information about who is providing alcohol to young people to report it to the police on 0845 600 5705, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

The Community Task Force will undertake similar operations over the coming months while the officers are deployed in Arbroath.