Costcutter in Ludlow has premises licence suspended
Costcutter in Ludlow has had its premises licence suspended for two weeks, and the removal of the Designated Premises Supervisor, following two separate sales of alcohol to minors.
The Ludlow store was visited by public protection officers early in 2013 as part of a market surveillance exercise to assess the willingness of retailers to sell alcohol to minors. During this exercise a bottle of Smirnoff Ice was sold to an underage volunteer. A follow up visit was undertaken a couple of months later which again resulted with an illegal sale, this time of Strongbow cider. Both sales were made by family members of the premises licence holder.
An application for a licence review was submitted by public protection officers over concerns that the operation of store was undermining the licensing objective of ‘protecting children from harm’.
A hearing was held on 28 August in Shrewsbury where, in addition to the suspension of the premises licence and the removal of the Designated Premises Supervisor, the committee imposed a further five conditions to be added to the premises licence which will help to prevent further illegal sales at the premises.
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for public protection, said:
“Selling alcohol to minors is a serious matter, and retailers must remain diligent at all times. Underage drinking has implications for the health of the minors as well as their safety whilst under the influence. Adopting a ‘challenge 25′ policy and asking for appropriate ID is the best way to prevent illegal sales, and if any retailer wishes to receive any further advice or guidance in this I would recommend they make contact with the public protection team. Many of our county’s towns operate a Community Alcohol Partnership, and I would encourage retailers to sign up to this initiative and take advantage of the advice and training that can be offered.”
