Three shops on one Reading road could lose their licences as police crack down on super strength alcohol sales and lack of compliance with licensing rules.
Today’s Express, K B Superstores and Anrish Stores, three off licences on Oxford Road, could all face hearings in the coming months.
Thames Valley Police (TVP) has submitted a trio of applications, asking Reading Borough Council (RBC) to review the shops’ licences.
It says all three shops have failed to promote the licensing objectives through insufficient measures to ensure due diligence or compliance with its licensing conditions.
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The council’s Licensing Applications sub-committee may hold hearings later this year to decide what action to take, if there is no agreement beforehand.
Anrish Stores, 102 Oxford Road
TVP says it “suspects strongly” the premises licence holder’s failure to sufficiently promote the licensing objectives and risk assess the sale of high strength cans of beer and cider above six per cent is “likely to be exacerbating the levels of street drinking and alcohol related disorder within the area”.
The police believe sales of super-strength cheap beers and ciders on Oxford Road are “fuelling incidents of alcohol related crime and disorder in the area”, and it is “of extreme concern and a priority for the Oxford Road residents and community to resolve this issue”.
Today’s Express, 107 Oxford Road
In their submission regarding Today’s Express, on 107 Oxford Road, TVP say poor processes have led to the regular supply of super strength alcohol (above six per cent beer and cider) to individuals who are “regularly and overtly involved in street drinking and its related anti-social behaviour”.
They also say: “It is strongly also suspected that the majority of the individuals being sold the alcohol are also intoxicated at the time that the sale occurs.”
K B Superstore, 337-339 Oxford Road
TVP say K B Superstores has poor processes and has breached licensing conditions, failing to promote the licensing objectives and negatively affecting the four licensing objectives “in equal measure”.
The four licensing objectives are:
- Prevention of Crime and Disorder
- Prevention of Public Nuisance
- Public Safety
- Protection of Children from Harm
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