Crackdown on Sale of Alcohol to Children in Nuneaton and Bedworth
A licensee is under investigation following a crackdown on the sale of alcohol to children carried out by Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service in Nuneaton and Bedworth.
Trading Standards Officers, supported by Warwickshire Police, carried out undercover test purchases of alcohol at 12 locations across Nuneaton and Bedworth at the beginning of July.
A 16 year old child volunteer (with full parental permission) attempted to purchase alcohol at 12 separate premises, mostly corner shops and small supermarkets.
At one premise, a small 7-11 supermarket located in Nuneaton, the child volunteer was able to purchase a bottle of Smirnoff Ice. Police issued the seller with an £80 fixed penalty notice and Trading Standards Officers are now investigating the matter further.
Warwickshire Trading Standards has a number of options it can take ranging from advice to prosecution. Businesses could also face having additional conditions placed on their license to sell alcohol, or face losing it altogether.
Warwickshire County Councillor Richard Hobbs, Portfolio Holder for Community Protection said: “Under age drinking is a very serious problem for many Warwickshire communities. We are determined to reduce the problems associated with the drunken behaviour of young people by cracking down on the illegal sale of alcohol to children.
“We have done a lot of work already to educate shop owners and their staff on what they can do to stop the sale of alcohol to a child and I commend the majority of retailers who are taking their responsibilities seriously.
"However, from the work we do it is clear that a minority of shops are still selling alcohol to minors and they are warned that we will continue our undercover work and take action against those businesses that are allowing children to buy alcohol."