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.
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