City off-licence hit by booze ban

Jan 10 2007

A POLICE campaign against under-age drinking in Birmingham has resulted in another business being issued with a ban.

City centre off-licence Select & Save, in Islington Row, has been banned from selling alcohol for six weeks after being caught in a sting operation.

A 16-year-old accompanied by under-cover police and trading standards officials bought booze at the shop without being questioned on three occasions.

But city licensing magistrates watered down a police request that the alcohol ban should apply for three months.

As well as a six week prohibition, they have ordered a new supervisor must be appointed, staff must receive training and extra warning signage should be erected.

However, councillors refused to impose a sales ban on another shop caught selling alcohol to under-age teenagers.

Police wanted a three month ban on booze sales at the Spar shop in Brindleyplace. The committee allowed the shop to continue selling alcohol but ordered it to tighten up on its operating conditions.

The two cases follow a month long ban on booze sales at one of the city centre's oldest pubs. The Tap and Spile was caught out three times selling alcohol to customers as young as 15.