A convenience store in Northumberland Park has been issued with a three-month licence suspension after council Trading Standards officers found that it sold alcohol to a minor and stocked illegal tobacco and alcohol products.
Tiger Food & Wine on Lordship Lane will also have to fulfil a string of extra conditions once the licence is restored.
These include displaying “Challenge 25” posters in the shop, keeping a record of cases where sale was refused, and ensuring that all staff serving alcohol receives 6-monthly training on licensing requirements and age-restricted sales.
The licence suspension was confirmed by Haringey Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee on December 6.
It comes after the business was found to be breaching its licence obligations on two separate occasions. An inspection by the council’s Trading Standards Team in April found the shop stocking smuggled tobacco products and non-duty-paid beer, and the store went on to fail a test purchase in September by selling alcohol to a 16-year-old.
This is part of a concerted effort by Haringey Council to crack down on illicit alcohol and tobacco sales across the borough. A sniffer-dog-aided inspection in October resulted in seizure of illegal tobacco products with a duty value of over £1,500 including over 4,500 cigarettes and more than 1 kilo of rolling tobacco from another off-license in Woodside.
Council officers have also been working with police in Northumberland Park to remind licence holders of key licensing objectives, including ensuring they do not serve alcohol to individuals who are drunk or known to street drink, and logging and reporting any issues with persons causing antisocial behaviour.
Cllr John Bevan, Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing and Housing Services, said: “This is an excellent example of the hard work our Trading Standards team put into making sure that licence holders fulfil their legal obligations. We hope that this enforcement action results in the licensee abiding by the law in future, and also encourages other businesses to review their own practices to ensure they are compliant.
“This will ultimately benefit residents across the borough. Disregarding age restrictions, when selling alcohol seriously endangers children’s health; while illegal tobacco products are known to carry more health risks.
“Selling illegal tobacco and alcohol products also deprives the NHS and other vital services of much-needed funds. I strongly encourage all residents to help us by reporting any concerns that you may have about the mis-selling of any of these items.”
Anyone who believes a licensed premises to be selling illegal tobacco or alcohol products, or to be selling age-restricted products to minors, can report this through London Trading Standards.
