Horsham convenience store's licence suspended after selling alcohol to child

The convenience store, in Parkway, fell foul of a test purchase organised by West Sussex Trading Standards in December.

During a meeting on Tuesday (March 14), Horsham District Council’s licensing sub-committee was told that, when the 16-year-old girl sent in to make the purchase could not produce ID, the member of staff told her to ‘bring it next time’ and sold her the alcohol.

A statement from Sussex Police, which pushed for a three-month licence suspension, called the staff member’s actions ‘particularly worrying and a particularly serious breach of licensing law as well as basic common sense good practice’.

The meeting was also told that, in August 2022, Trading Standards had seized 520 disposable electronic cigarettes which contained more nicotine than was allowed.

Diana van der Klugt (Con, Pulborough, Coldwaltham & Amberley), who chaired the meeting, said the decision to suspend the licence had been based on ‘the clear failure, admitted by the premises licence holder’ to promote two licensing objectives, namely the prevention of harm to children and the prevention of crime and disorder.

She added: “The sub-committee felt that there was a weakness in the training regime at Choice [and] noted a history of trading irresponsibly in the past.

“Proper records should have been kept and should now be kept of all training received.”

A representative speaking on behalf of licence holder Harinder Singh Anand said he did not dispute that the sale to the teenager had taken place but insisted it was something which had never happened before.

As for the e-cigarettes, he said that invoices had been produced showing how they were purchased – though Trading Standards quickly pointed out that they were still illegal to sell.

The representative also told the meeting that staff training was in place and compliance with licensing laws had been ‘fully taken care of’.

He added that Choice was a ‘prominent shop’ used by a lot of people, some of whom had signed a petition of support.

But Trading Standards wondered how many of those who signed would condone the sale of alcohol to children if they were asked.

Mr Anand has one month to appeal the decision to suspend the licence.