Three Strikes and You’re Out! Warning to Retailers Who Sell Alcohol To Children
New laws mean that retailers who persistently sell alcohol to children could face losing their licenses warn Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service and Warwickshire Police.
Retailers caught selling alcohol to children under the age of 18 will face an £80 on the spot fine each and every time they sell. If they continue to sell alcohol to children their license could also be suspended for a period of between 48 hours and 3 months, or revoked entirely, depending upon circumstances.
Mark Ryder, Head of Warwickshire Trading Standards said:
“Under age drinking is a very serious problem for many Warwickshire communities and we are determined to reduce the problems associated with the drunken behaviour of young people by our crackdown on illegal alcohol sales.
We want these new penalties to be a wake up call to the minority of retailers who persistently sell alcohol to children - either sell alcohol responsibly or you may not be able to sell at all.”
Peter Blackburn District Commander for Nuneaton and Bedworth added:
"Alcohol fuelled anti-social behaviour is of concern locally and across the country. Successfully tackling those who sell alcohol to underage people is just one of a range of measures which we will take this year.
Partnership working in the borough is going from strength to strength and the police will continue to support joint action to improve the quality of life for local people."
Trading Standards Officers and Police, working in partnership in the Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough have already begun to implement the new law. Thirteen premises suspected of repeatedly selling alcohol to children were identified: a pub; three newsagents/cornershops; two off-licenses; two petrol stations, and five small supermarkets.
Each premise was visited on a number of occasions over the last four weeks. On each occasion a child volunteer was asked to enter the premise and attempt to buy an alcoholic drink.
Over the four-week period five retailers sold alcohol to children. On each occasion the seller was given an £80 fixed penalty fine. No premise sold on more than one occasion. However, had they, they would now be facing the possibility of losing their license.
Each premise had previously received an advisory visit by a Trading Standards Officer or Police Officer on at least one occasion.
A much larger enforcement exercise, covering North Warwickshire, Rugby, and Nuneaton and Bedworth areas, will now take place.