A convenience store has had its premises licence suspended for six weeks after selling alcohol to a child.

London Road Food and Wine, in East Grinstead, found itself in hot water after a bottle of WKD Blue was sold to a teenager in June.

The decision to suspend the shop’s licence was made during a meeting of Mid Sussex District Council’s liquor licensing panel on Wednesday (November 8). 

A report to the committee said that West Sussex Trading Standards had received a number of complaints alleging the shop had been selling e-cigarettes to youngsters.

Early in June, officers visited licence holder Ibrahim Kahraman to discuss and advise about the sale of age-restricted products.

Despite that advice, a 16-year-old volunteer was able to buy the WKD – with the member of staff who sold it claiming she didn’t know that it contained alcohol.

A number of conditions will have to be met once the suspension is served. They include the following: no more than two under-18s will be allowed into the shop at any time unless accompanied by an adult, a prompt will be added to the till to remind staff to check IDs, suitable CCTV coverage will be required while all spirits will have to be kept behind the checkout.