Hangleton off-licence loses its licence

An off-licence and convenience store in Hangleton has lost its licence to sell alcohol after being caught selling fake wine.

Dhani Stores on Hangleton Way was also found to be selling smuggled cigarettes and was caught selling alcohol and cigarettes to children.

In a joint operation by the council’s trading standards and Sussex Police earlier this a 16-year-old was sold four cans of lager during a test purchase, while counterfeit Jacobs Creek wine was on sale along with non-duty paid whisky and vodka and 2,000 smuggled cigarettes were found under the counter.

The store was also found to have no working CCTV and was not displaying ‘proof of age’ posters and subsequently its licence to sell alcohol has been revoked following a review.

Chief Inspector Simon Nelson said: “Our message remains clear: we will support you as much as we can as a responsible business endeavouring to survive during challenging economic times. However we will do all that we can to close those who present an unacceptable risk to our communities.

“The selling of alcohol carries with it a high level of responsibility and only those who are capable of that should be trading in this city. If others are tempted to engage in illegal practices, including the sale of smuggled or counterfeit alcohol, I suggest that they quickly reconsider their position.”

Councillor Lizzie Deane, chair of the council’s Licensing Committee, added: “Thanks to the effective partnership between our officers and the police, they successfully uncovered a number of practices that could cause significant harm to children and the wider public.

“We have a clear policy that licensees must take steps to ensure they do not sell alcohol to children.

“Counterfeit wine and spirits often contain industrial alcohol and other chemicals that are not intended for human consumption and carry an inherent risk to public health.

“Despite transfers of the licence, the Panel still had concerns, as there was clear evidence that links still remained between the current management and the activities which continued to cause concern. The Panel therefore had no hesitation in revoking this licence.”

Related Posts:

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• Hove trader loses licence after selling fake wine
• Hangleton store on last warning after licensing breaches
• Council strongly rejects government’s unlicensed venue proposal
• Bevendean post office has alcohol licence suspended

Posted by Joseph Lewis on August 12, 2011. Filed under Hangleton,Latest News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry