North Tyneside store wants to deliver alcohol until 4am

A North Tyneside store’s plans for a late-night booze delivery service could stop drink-driving, its owner has claimed.

Somal’s, in West Moor, has asked for permission to extend its licence to 4am Monday to Saturday so that it can make twilight deliveries to thirsty customers.

As things stand, the Benton Lane store can sell alcohol Monday to Saturday from 8am to 11pm, 10am to 10.30pm on Sundays and Good Friday, midday to 3pm and 7pm to 10.30pm on Christmas Day.

At Thursday’s meeting of North Tyneside Council’s planning committee, owner Rani Johal said that there is a demand for late night deliveries.

She pointed to other services running in the area that charge as much as £15 to deliver alcohol in the early hours.

Johal said: “We tried to keep it at 10 or 11pm but there was a demand for it.

“It is a £3 delivery charge and it stops people from drink-driving. We’re trying to give our customers a service there’s a good price for.

“It’s a very busy road, even at 3 o’clock in the morning. There is nothing over-looking us at all apart from units we have rented out.

“We have been speaking to our neighbours and they have never had a problem with it.

“We’re on a main road not stuck in a residential place – it’s a busy road.”

The shopkeeper told the committee that her drivers would only deliver to people’s homes, not public places.

Drivers will also only hand over the alcohol once customers had produced ID, she said.

The shop itself will closed in the early hours with only deliveries taking place from the premises.

Johal added: “We’re a small business just trying to grow with the rest of them. The only way we can grow is if we sell after hours.”

North Tyneside Council will publish the decision of its licensing sub-committee within the next five working days.