Shropshire shops caught out on under-age alcohol sales
Shops across Shropshire sold booze to 16-year-olds in a council operation to clamp down on the sale of cigarettes and alcohol.
Teenagers visited 11 shops in Whitchurch, Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Albrighton and were able to buy alcohol in five without anyone challenging their age.
Some of the shops that sold alcohol were supposedly operating a 'Challenge 25' policy, where anyone who appears to be under 25-years-old should be asked for ID.
Some of the people who made the sales will be serviced with Fixed Penalty Notices and written warnings will be issued to all the business owners.
In one case, where there have now been two consecutive breaches, further enquiries are under way to determining whether formal enforcement action or a licence review is needed.
There were better results among cigarette retailers.
In Oswestry, Ellesmere and Wem, a 16-year-old female volunteer visited eight shops and was refused on each occasion, with all except one business asking for a proof of age card.
Frances Darling, Shropshire Council's service manager for safer and stronger communities, said: "Whilst we are pleased with the high level of challenges and therefore refusals in those shops where we attempted to purchase cigarettes, we are extremely disappointed that almost half of the shops sold alcohol to our volunteers.
"The fact that some were claiming to operate under the Challenge 25 principle gives us a particular cause for concern.
"The premises we visit are, where possible, selected beforehand based on previous poor performance, and in respect of alcohol sales, in particular, from intelligence provided by police colleagues. "This enables us to target our valuable and ever-decreasing resources as effectively and efficiently as possible.
"The 100 per cent refusals on the attempted cigarette purchases gives us a clear indication that the advice and enforcement work carried out previously on cigarette sales has been successful, and retailers are taking their responsibilities seriously.
"With respect to alcohol, it appears we are correctly targeting the poorer-performing retailers and the results give us a clear steer that we need to continue our work in this area."
