A SHOP owner is facing a battle to keep selling alcohol after the police applied to the borough council to revoke his premises licence following alleged problems – including several incidents of anti-social behaviour.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee will consider an application made by PC Claire Wanless, Hampshire Constabulary’s licensing officer, to revoke the premises licence of Eastrop Stores, in Eastrop Way next month.

The application was due to be discussed on Thursday, but the borough council has rescheduled the item and it will now be considered on Thursday, February 19.

The business has been owned by Apputhurai Nanthakumar since 2009. Three part-time employees currently work at the store, which has permission to open between 7am and 9pm, Monday to Sunday.

According to PC Wanless, on a visit to the store in January 2014, the member of staff on duty could not explain what age verification was in place to ensure under-18s were not sold alcohol, and she was told that Mr Nanthakumar, who is the designated premises supervisor (DPS), was only at the shop on a few occasions during the week as he had another full-time job.

She then met with Mr Nanthakumar on January 27 to raise her concerns. He agreed to transfer the DPS responsibility to someone who is there on a day-to-day basis. However, an application was only made to change this last month.

A report to the sub-committee also detailed six incidents between November 2013 and November 2014 when the police had been called by employees to deal with anti-social behaviour occurring at the shop entrance.

In one incident on November 2, the police were called to the shop after a drunk customer became abusive to other customers and staff before knocking the contents of a stand on to the floor.

The police then found that the customer had been sold alcohol three times in the course of three hours by staff at the shop.

The report also says that there were no training records for staff, and a book documenting incidents where alcohol was refused to customers was not filled in correctly.

In the application, PC Wanless said: “The police have no faith in either Mr Nanthakumar or staff at the premises. It has been evidence (sic) throughout this report that the licensing objectives are not being met.

“The area surrounding the store has suffered anti-social behaviour from youths attempting to buy alcohol or cigarettes. The staff have been verbally abused on many occasions, customers have been witness to verbal and physical threats whilst on the premises.”

She added: “It is unacceptable to expect the community to put up with this. The following offences have occurred at this premise within the past year despite the police and council working with the management.”

When The Gazette approached Mr Nanthakumar, he said: “I am going to oppose any allegations made at the licensing committee.”

The committee can modify conditions of the licence, remove the DPS, suspend the licence for three months, or revoke the licence.