Teen on mission to clean up Oamaru

Seeing smashed glass and empty alcohol vessels strewn all over the street is a common sight at the weekend says one Oamaru youth, and he's had enough.

Sam Sutherland, 18, told the Oamaru Mail that he would see glass on the main road every weekend on his way to work.

"No one cleans it up, it just stays there until someone kicks it into the gutter," he said.

Mr Sutherland said seeing the remnants of drinking in the street was not a good look for children, who would see it every day on their way to and from school.

There was also a danger that someone could stand on the broken glass and cut themselves.

Mr Sutherland said he would often see people breaching the liquor ban at night.

He said he believes the drinking is mostly caused by boredom.

"There isn't a lot for teenagers to do really, they just think 'let's drink for fun and smash glass'," he said.

Acting Sergeant Ross Lory has worked in Oamaru for 14 years. Before that he was stationed in Invercargill.

"There is a big drinking culture down south," he said.

"It's similar in Oamaru, but it's a bit more controlled and the people tend to drink responsibly."

He said the liquor ban which had come in a few years ago was an important tool for police.

"We don't get the vicious assaults we used to where people would get bottled," he said.

"People would be drinking and they would have weapons to hand."

Mr Lory said, on the whole, Oamaru's licensed premises were responsible and did not serve intoxicated people.