Staff at Northampton hotel caught selling vodka to 15-years-olds
A HOTEL in Northampton has been banned from selling alcohol to anyone but its residents and people at functions for the next two months.
Northampton Borough Council’s licensing committee made the decision to ban The Plough Hotel, in Bridge Street, from selling alcohol to the general public after staff were caught selling vodka to 15-year-olds on two occasions.
Staff at the hotel were caught out both times after the police sent in the youngsters to see if they would be served.
Northamptonshire Police’s licensing officer, Pc David Bryan, said: “This one is very straight forward. We conducted two test purchases at The Plough, one on September 30, when alcohol was sold to a 15-year-oldn and another on October 21n when again a 15-year-old who we sent into the premises was sold alcohol.”
The council’s licensing committee heard the man in charge of the hotel bar, Bhupinder Dhaliwal, had not been aware of the sales and ‘truly regretted’ the fact they had happened.
He told the committee: “I think sometimes, staff feel too intimidated to ask people if they are 18.
“They fear being abused.”
He also told the committee that a significant amount of staff training had been carried out at the hotel since the incidents happened last year.
The committee also heard Mr Dhaliwal had been fined £600 for the incidents by magistrates.
Pc Bryan admitted the hotel had been co-operative with the police following the two underage sales, but warned they could have their licence taken away if they were caught again.
He said: “Mr Dhaliwal has been quite positive about what happened.
“But we’re very concerned about alcohol getting into the hands of young people and we take it very seriously.
“So, if we go there again and there’s another sale to children, they won’t have a leg to stand on.”
After considering the case in private for just over half an hour, the council’s licensing committee decided not to withdraw the hotel’s licence.
Instead, they said alcohol could not be sold to anybody but guests or people at functions for the next two months and children under 18 should not be allowed in the hotel’s bar after 8pm, unless they were with an adult who was staying at the hotel.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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