Brighton Shops Slammed for Selling Booze to Teens
Shop Worker Fined After Underage Alcohol Sale
Police in Brighton and Hove have cracked down hard on booze sales to underage drinkers. Kalyani Patel, 55, from Barcombe Road, Brighton, was fined £300 after selling alcohol to an underage volunteer during a sting operation called Operation Teepee.
This was Patel’s second fail at a test purchase, and she was also hit with £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge. The sale happened at Wild Park Local, where Patel worked.
Two Stores Face Licence Suspensions
Wild Park Local and Moonlight, a shop in Church Road, Hove, were both caught selling alcohol to minors more than once. As a result, strict penalties followed.
Wild Park Local had its alcohol licence suspended for a month. The licence holder must now implement tougher staff training and install a new electronic till system. This system forces staff to confirm customers are over 25 or to check ID before selling booze.
The shop was warned that any further breaches could see its licence completely revoked.
Moonlight Slapped with Two-Week Suspension
Moonlight’s licence was suspended for two weeks. The store has to carry out refresher training and add new licence conditions including:
- All alcohol products must be visible to staff
- Alcohol fridges fitted with buzzers to alert staff when opened
- Electronic till system like Wild Park Local’s
- Independent test purchases by an external company with results shared with Sussex Police and Trading Standards
- Recording every refusal to sell alcohol
- Mandatory training for all customer-facing staff, plus refresher sessions every six months
Police Promise Zero Tolerance on Underage Booze Sales
“The sale of alcohol to underage drinkers will absolutely not be tolerated in Brighton and Hove,” said Licensing Officer Hannah Staplehurst. “We will always work with premises to educate and put measures in place to stop repeat occurrences.”
“Multiple breaches will see licences revoked. Operation Teepee’s unannounced checks will continue across the city to ensure licence holders comply.”
