Teens 'sent to prison' for doorstep milk prank

The youngsters were sent to Lewes Prison which houses suspected murderers and robbers.

They were made to visit the category B prison as a warning of what could happen to them if their “mindless behaviour” escalated.

The 14 responsible for the milk-related incidents are believed to be older teens.

But police admitted that they were worried their younger peers could also become involved in the ongoing milk saga which police said had “inconvenienced” people in Burgess Hill.

A Sussex Police statement said the force sent the teenagers to the prison because they wanted to send out a “clear message to youngsters” that such behaviour “would not be tolerated”.

The statement continued: “Officers, where they have identified those responsible, have given the teenagers the chance to make up for what they have done by apologising to the dairy and cleaning their milk floats.

“In an effort to warn them off from repeating their antisocial behaviour there have also been visits to Lewes Prison to show where they can end up if their antisocial behaviour escalates.”

PC Peter Mackay said: “It is a small minority of teenagers who are committing this crime.

“Some 14 young people have been interviewed and dealt with in liaison with the dairy through community resolution.

“Their mindless actions, swapping doorstep orders, throwing bottles at cars and gathering up lots of bottles of milk as part of a prank, have had consequences.

“There has been damage to cars, customers have been inconvenienced and the dairy has replaced the milk at its own expense.

“Young people on bikes or in cars have been stealing milk outside homes during the night over recent months.

“We want to put a stop to it.”

A Dairy Crest spokeswoman added: “We’re proud of the excellent service our milkmen provide and we take the theft of milk most seriously.

“Not only does it affect our customers but also damages the livelihood of the milkmen.”