Police say those attending illegal after-ball parties could be committing an offence.

Ball after-parties for two Canterbury high schools have been scrapped because the organisers fear they will be prosecuted.

Upset Ashburton and Mount Hutt College students say private parties "are more likely to get out of hand" through excessive drinking, drug use and drink-driving.

The Ashburton Community Alcohol and Drug Service (ACADS) has helped organise supervised ball after parties for Ashburton College and Mount Hutt College for the past 17 years.

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They imposed a six alcoholic drink limit, provided food and 250 bottles of water. Up to 30 volunteers helped run the events and students were not allowed to leave unless they had transport arranged.

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ACADS general manager Chris Clark wrote to parents and students on Monday advising them it would no longer organise the after-parties "effectively immediately".

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The move came after police wrote to Canterbury principals earlier this month, saying anyone organising a BYO ball after-party with an entry fee risked being prosecuted and fined up to $20,000.

In the letter, Senior Sergeant Gordon Spite referred to a recent court decision, and said:

– People who organise, manage, sell tickets, charge and entry fee, provide security are breaking the law unless they get a special licence to buy and sell alcohol.

– However, it is not possible to get a special licence for 'bring your own' alcohol.

– People attending these events are generally committing an offence.

"The police position is clear – organised after ball parties involving the consumption of alcohol and a charge of any sort are illegal irrespective of the age of the attendees," Spite said.

"Minors must have express consent of parents/legal guardians to consume alcohol. Notes with "To whom it may concern" do not meet those requirements."

Spite said the people who made money off after-ball parties played "cat-and-mouse" with police and often refused to disclose where or when the parties were being held.

"Your always going to get well organised events like the one in Ashburton caught in the wash-up, but the law is there for a reason," he said.

Spite disputed the idea the change would drive parties underground and said parents had the power to stop them.

"I think the fatalistic view they will go ahead anyway is flawed; let's give parents some credit, they aren't going to let their teenagers go to unsafe, illegal events."

Clark said ACADS was no longer in a position to run the events due to the prosecution risk. A member of her staff had spoken with Spite.

"The law's the law, it's pushing it back to how it used to be, which is our concern."

ACADS became involved almost two decades ago after uncontrolled parties held in rural halls were "bedlam", and students tried walking home on country roads.

"We have come a long way from those days."

Clark had noticed a drop in alcohol consumption, and change in drinking attitudes since ACADS took control.

ACADS considered the parties to be private events. Ticket pass sales were necessary to cover costs for the venue, DJ and food. ACADS absorbed some of the cost, but was unable to cover the entire event.

"ACADS is very sad to come to this decision and our main aim was to help keep our young people safe and we were successful in this for the past 17 years," Clark said in her letter to parents.

"We acknowledge the situation that this now places parents and their young people in, in regards to what happens now at the conclusion of both school balls. We strongly advise that parents and young people familiarise themselves with Sections 235 and 236 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, before deciding whether they should consider hosting their own after ball events."

Three Ashburton College students expressed their concerns in a letter to Stuff , saying the change would encourage private parties "that are more likely to get out of hand".

"Within this environment there were alcohol limitations with parents and first aid to reduce the amount of issues that are to occur. Without this safe environment they are encouraging students to drink elsewhere, which leads to drug use, over drinking, and also drunk driving," they wrote.

"Lives will be more at danger with these new law adjustments."

Dean of Law at Canterbury University, Ursula Cheer, said the court decision made having any kind of BYO alcohol after-ball event very difficult.

"The only way you can get around it is for one of the students to drink in their own home and invite people around to drink, free of charge, which gets messy when the invite list includes 300 teenagers," she said.

"Police turn up to shut it down and then the alcohol really starts causing problems because people start throwing bottles and that kind of thing."

Phil Holstein, head of Canterbury Secondary Principals' Association, said he thought the enforcement was necessary to help protect young people.

"These kinds of events do make us uneasy. We were concerned, parents were concerned, the police were concerned and we really appreciate the clear stance taken by them," he said.

"It's a shame well-recieved and well-supported events like the ones in Ashburton are affected, but that's the reality of the law."