Late night pizza and kebab house in Northampton has licence suspended for staying open until 6am

A pizza and kebab takeaway in Northampton threatened with closure by police for staying open well past its serving hours will have to shut for four weeks as punishment.
Millennium Pizza and Kebab house in Abington Square will have to stay closed for four weeks after breaching its licence.Millennium Pizza and Kebab house in Abington Square will have to stay closed for four weeks after breaching its licence.
Millennium Pizza and Kebab house in Abington Square will have to stay closed for four weeks after breaching its licence.

Millennium Pizza in Abington Square was hauled in front of the licensing sub-committee this week after police officers and the Northampton CCTV control room witnessed the eatery serving food to customers after hours on five separate occasions in August and September.

On the first occasion, the takeaway shop was spotted on CCTV open at 6.04am even though the licence only allows for business until 4am at the latest.

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After several other breaches, PC James Atter actually walked into the shop at 4.27am on September 17 and recorded himself on his body camera warning the staff, who continued serving in front of him.

But the sub-committee said the breaches of Millennium Pizza’s licensed hours were “low level” as the additional trading had not caused any “congregation.”

Instead of removing the premises licence as requested by Northamptonshire Police, the committee imposed a four-week suspension.

“Any other action would in the opinion of the councillors be disproportionate,” read the committee’s determination.

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“There has not been any breaches of the other conditions on the licence.

“A four-week suspension is sufficient punishment as the crime and disorder.”

The premises licence holder was warned he must adhere to the operating hours within the licence.

But he was also warned that if he were to be brought back in front of the committee again, there would be a “real risk” of the licence being removed.

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Committee papers in the public domain showed it was the second time in less than two years that Millenium Pizza and Kebab had its licence reviewed. The previous review came after a member of staff attacked a customer with a kebab knife.

Councillors later said they judged the cause of the attack to have been severe fatigue on the part of the member of staff.