Shop faces action after alcohol test operations

Members of Doncaster Council’s licencing committee will be asked to examine the case of a branch of Londis, in the village of Dunscroft, north of the town at a meeting which is due to take place next week.

Councillors who sit on the committee will be told that staff were tested on several occasions to see if they were prepared to sell alcohol to children, and to check procedures over asking young purchasers for identification.

The test purchase operations were carried out in partnership by South Yorkshire Police officers and staff from Doncaster Council’s Trading Standards department over a number of weeks earlier this year.

Each operation involved sending specially prepared young people into the shop on Sheep Dip Lane to try and buy different types of alcoholic drinks and see if they were refused by staff.

Video footage and photographs were taken during the staging of each operation, all of which will be presented to the committee as evidence of the shop’s repeated failures.

Members of the committee will be asked to review the licence, which is currently held by the premises supervisor Carol Petch, and decide whether to revoke it or impose other sanctions on the premises.

A report to the committee says: “The review is sought by the Trading Standards department under the council’s protection of children from harm objective.

“Sales of alcohol to persons under 18 have occurred on three occasions during operations carried out by council officers and South Yorkshire Police.”

Members of the licencing committee will meet to make a recommendation at Doncaster’s Mansion House, next Tuesday, May 15, at 2pm.