POLICE in the Borders have warned parents to be extra vigilant about where their children socialise at night with summer approaching.

With a tag line, "Lighter nights, better weather… are they partying safe this weekend?" Local police officers are circulating a campaign via social media, asking parents to be more aware of potentially dangerous behaviour.

The Facebook post read: "Are they drinking? Drinking under the age of 18 is against the law in Scotland, and can really impact on their health. Teenagers are more likely to take risks, such as walking home alone at night whilst drunk, having unprotected sex or drink driving. 

"There are lots of benefits to living in the Scottish Borders, not least enjoying the lovely countryside.

"However, a rural location can mean poor or no mobile signal in an emergency and slower response times from emergency services due the inaccessibility of the area, which just adds to the risk of drinking."

At last week's meeting of Peebles Community Council, discussions were had about the problem of under-agers drinking outside, which as well as the associated health problems, is also causing huge amounts of littering and sometimes vandalism. 

Police have said they will be keeping an eye on suspected drinking-dens such as Venlaw Woods in the coming weeks, with the community's well-being at the forefront of their campaign.