Eastrop Stores banned from selling alcohol

As reported by The Gazette, Hampshire Constabulary’s licensing officer, PC Claire Wanless, applied to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for a premises licence review of Eastrop Stores, in Eastrop Way, last December.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee has now decided to revoke the owner’s licence to sell alcohol, after hearing from PC Wanless about various incidents at the shop.

Speaking at the meeting last Thursday, she told the committee that she became concerned after visiting the store in January 2014, when the member of staff on duty could not explain what age verification was in place to ensure under 18s were not sold alcohol.

She was told that Apputharai Nanthakumar, who was the designated premises supervisor (DPS) at the time and who owns the store, was only at the shop on a few occasions each week.

A report to the sub-committee also detailed six incidents between November 2013 and November 2014 when police were called to the shop.

On November 2 last year police were called after a drunk customer became abusive to customers and staff before knocking the contents of a stand to the floor.

Officers found that the customer had been sold alcohol three times in three hours by staff at the shop.

PC Wanless requested a licence review in December, after which an application was received from Mr Nanthakumar to install Pratheep Sinnarajah as the new DPS.

PC Wanless told councillors that the police had “exhausted all options”, adding: “Mr Nanthakumar is not in the day-to-day control of the premises so he is not best suited to this role (as the DPS).

“Despite the intentions of the new DPS, staff training and some documentation, there are still non-compliance issues. Hampshire Constabulary believes that the new DPS and staff are still answerable to Mr Nanthakumar as the owner.

“Nothing has been done to alleviate the concerns Hampshire Constabulary has about this premise.”

John Ioannou, a solicitor who spoke at the meeting on behalf of Mr Nanthakumar, accepted that there had been “failures” at the shop but said all the matters of concern raised in the report had now been addressed.

He told the meeting: “CCTV is working, the refusal book is there and there has only been one refusal because we have only had one.”

He added that staff understand the licensing objectives.

Chair of the sub-committee, Councillor Diane Taylor, said: “The sub-committee has decided, having regard to all the circumstances, to revoke the licence. The licence holder (Mr Nanthakumar) has not taken his responsibility seriously and it puts the public at risk.”

Mr Nanthakumar has 21 days to appeal the decision.