Five Guildford shops sold alcohol to underage customers
It was during test purchasing operation by Surrey Police
Five stores in Guildford have failed during a test purchasing operation.
This means they sold alchohol to an underage customer without asking for ID.
Surrey Police send volunteers into shops to make sure they're obeying the law.
They tested 17 stores so far this month in Guildford, Ash and Tongham
The stores that failed are:
Guildford:
G&J News, Woking Road
Londis, Bedford Road
Ash:
One Stop, Ash Street
Co-op, Wharf Road
Agisha Food & Wine, Shawfield Road
The operation was part of Surrey Police’s ongoing work to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Guildford Licensing Officer, Colin Whitear, said:
“We are deeply disappointed that five shops in our borough failed the test purchasing operation.
"There is a clear link between alcohol and anti-social behaviour, and by licensed premises failing to uphold the law by not selling alcohol to underage customers, they are exacerbating the problem.
"All businesses with a license to sell alcohol have a responsibility to ensure that they are meeting the conditions of their license and obeying the law.”
PC Madeline Neal from Guildford’s Safer Neighbourhood Team, said:
“We have been working hard to tackle anti-social behaviour in our communities by using every resource available to us.
"Part of this work included auditing local shops to ensure that they weren’t selling alcohol to customers without asking for ID, which we will continue to do across the borough.
"I’d like to encourage local residents to report any concerns they may have about shops in Guildford selling alcohol to underage customers so that we can fully investigate.”