North Shields shop denied licence after selling booze without permission

A North Shields shop that had its booze seized after it was caught selling it without permission has had its bid for a licence rejected.

Ali Baba on Nile Street also had fireworks confiscated after fire service staff asked to inspect the premises and found no fire-fighting equipment or risk assessment in place, according to a council report.

The report, heard by North Tyneside Council’s Licensing Committee on Friday, also stated that Trading Standards removed tobacco from the store for “investigations into duty paid status”.

Matios Limited applied for the shop to be given permission to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises between 8am and 11pm seven days a week but this permission was denied.

A statement from Phil Scott, the council’s director of environment, housing and leisure, stated that a routine visit by authority officers on December 17 revealed that the store was selling alcohol without a licence.

Once inside officers found it was “stocked with a substantial amount of alcohol”.

The owner of the shop claimed that an application to sell alcohol had been made and he could sell it from his store pending approval.

Officers ordered him to cover up the booze and remove it from sale – later discovering that no premises licence application had been made.

Three days later alcohol was still on display at the premises and on December 22 a test purchase was carried out with an authority employee buying a bottle of Smirnoff Ice.

“A number of fireworks” were also displayed at the premises, these were removed on December 23 after fire service staff found no registration, risk assessment or firefighting equipment on the premises.

On the same day, Trading Standards visited the beleaguered premises to find that alcohol was still on sale.

Northumbria Police removed the majority of it to stop any more being sold.

Police also found more fireworks in the flat above the premises, with trading standards removing tobacco to see if duty had been paid.

Sardar Dara, the store’s owner, pleaded with the committee to be allowed a drinks licence saying that he had got into debt to get his business up and running.

He also told councillors that he had paid a third party £500 to apply for an alcohol licence on his behalf and was under the impression it was OK to sell booze while he was waiting for it to go through.

Mr Dara also told councillors that he was out of the area at the time of the visit from the council and wasn’t aware of the questionable cigarettes.

He said: “I cannot believe I find myself in this sort of situation because I never thought about it.

“I don’t know whether to blame myself or other people. I am happy to co-operate with officers – I just want to clear my name.

“I didn’t find out until January that the licence hadn’t been applied for.

“If you give permission for a licence which I spent savings and got in debt for I will personally manage this place.”

Mr Scott said a drinks licence should not be granted as the store owner has already flouted the law.

He wrote: “The applicant has shown a disregard for the legislation by initially selling alcohol without a licence and then continuing to sell despite the breaches being brought to his attention.

“The applicant has been made aware that the continued sales of were illegal. In addition, despite advising officers that he held a personal licence no such licence is held by Mr Dara.”