Supermarket spared booze ban

A formal review of the store's alcohol licence by Wealden's licensing sub-committee was held in Crowborough on Wednesday morning.

Police had called for the review saying the store had failed to meet the licensing objective of protecting children from harm.

The force's licensing officer, Allan Lofthouse described how Somerfield had sold alcohol to under-age youngsters on four separate occasions.

On December 20 last year a bottle of Lambrini was sold to a 16-year-old carrying out a test purchase operation on behalf of police and trading standards.

On February 2 this year police saw a 16-year-old coming out of the store with two bottles of Smirnoff Ice he had bought from the store.

Following a store visit by Mr Lofthouse later that month, manager Seb Griffiths told police new procedures meant it would not happen again.

But on April 23 four cans of Stella were sold to a 15-year-old test purchaser.

On each occasion fixed penalty notices were issued.

On May 18 Mr Griffiths attended a meeting and once again ensured police rigorous checks would be made.

On June 1 and 2 shelves were cleared of alcohol and sales suspended for 48 hours.

But on July 18 the store failed another test purchase when drink sales to two 15-year-olds were authorised by senior member of staff Sandra Inman.

That time, the committee was told, the sale went through because Mrs Inman had 'looked at the wrong customer'.

Committee members Cllrs Niki Oakes and Susan Stedman heard how the store, Wealden licensing officers, police and Trading Standards had worked to hammer out a series of conditions aimed at keeping alcohol sales within the law.

These included accepting and reinforcing the Challenge 21 police guidelines, keeping a refusals book available for scrutiny, ensuring a minimum of nine staff members obtain a personal licence and that a personal licence holder was permanently on duty, making sure a front-of-house supervisor monitors all sales, increasing in-store CCTV coverage and ensuring training records were kept.

Members demanded information about training methods, disciplinary action and guarantees that responsible staff would supervise tills.

Concluding, Cllr Hollins told Somerfield managers: 'We have looked carefully at suspending your licence but accept it would be punitive '“ not educational to do so.

'But if this happens again another committee might not take such a lenient view.'