24-hour off-licence ‘sold booze to street drinker after he walked into bus’

A shop accused of selling alcohol to street drinkers was caught serving a homeless person who had just drunkenly walked into the side of a bus, councillors heard this week.

Police requested a review of Border Store’s 24-hour alcohol licence after reports it was serving street drinkers who congregate in Norfolk Square near the Western Road off licence.

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But the owners told a licensing panel they had “grasped the nettle” and cleaned up their act.

The panel heard that police and the council’s licensing officers took a closer interest shop after receiving a complaint from a member of the public.

A women who was seen staggering around the shop on 8 October, 2018, was helped with her alcohol selection by a member of staff.

It is illegal to knowingly sell alcohol to a person who is drunk and a conviction can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and a loss of licence.

Sussex Police licensing officer Claire Abdelkader spoke about another incident of concern to the force.

On 17 October, 2018 a police officer on foot patrol in Western Road, went to an accident involving a man and a double decker bus.

As paramedics tried to help the the man but he kept saying “leave me alone” and “I’m fine”.

Mrs Abdelkader quoted the officer’s report to the panel, held at Hove Town Hall yesterday morning.

She said: “He smelled strongly of beer. I recognised the male as he regularly comes to notice for drinking in public an causing a nuisance.

“I tried to get details from him but he walked off.

“Myself and paramedics decided as he did not appear to have major injuries or wanted to engage with us, then we would let him leave.

“As I was discussing this I saw him enter Border Store. He was still unsteady on his feet.

“As he exited I would see that the item was a can of Stella Artois. He then stumbled east along Western Road towards Norfolk Square.”

Other incidents of concern included the licence not on display, broken CCTV and problems with retrieving footage.

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City council licensing officer Donna Lynsdale visited the shop and wrote to the owner and designated premises supervisor Sameer Phillips about issues with sales to people who were drunk and failure to fill in the refusals book.

Ms Lynsdale said the authority wanted the licence removed as it did not feel the business “promoted the licensing objectives” of preventing crime and disorder and prevention of public nuisance.

She said: “This premises has a long history of breaching license conditions and poor management.

“I have made numerous visits to the premises reminding them of the problems in Norfolk Square and not to sell to intoxicated customers.”