Council operation reveals one in four bar staff served alcohol to underage drinkers

Almost a quarter of bar and pub staff served alcohol to an underage person in an operation carried out by Plymouth City Council’s Public Protection Service and Devon and Cornwall Police.

Over 107 premises were visited as part of a joint operation to see how licensed premises such as off-licenses, pubs, clubs and bars managed their business. Of those, 27 were issued fixed penalty notices after being caught serving alcoholic drink to a minor.

Those that sold drink to an underage person again were issued with a notice to withdraw alcohol sales for 48 hours and to introduce new controls.

One premises also had their license to sell alcohol completely removed due to persistent problems of selling alcohol to minors.

Two premises were overcrowded, with one business being referred to the Fire Authority, and officers also reported back that some door staff were not checking the number of people entering their premises.

The joint initiative which took place over three separate weekends over three months, was designed to see how well staff and owners manage their premises and how they dealt with the issues of underage sales, public safety and dealing with drunken behaviour.

Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Brian Vincent said: “Clearly there is more work to do. The whole point of having licensing laws is to protect people – particularly our young – and to make sure that anyone who goes out in Plymouth will enjoy themselves, feel safe and have every confidence that the place they are in is well-managed.

“The dangerous levels of alcohol some people drink and particularly some of our young people is a national problem and one we need to address here. We expect licence holders to uphold the laws that are there to protect the public.

“Premises that are well-managed deserve praise. However, those that put the public at risk and do not take the law seriously, such as serving underage drinkers and not checking their identification, will have to be dealt with.

“Plymouth’s night time economy is worth £60 million and licensed premises have an important role to play in this, and protection of its customers is vital.”

Acting inspector Martin Worthington from Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Licensing is designed to protect the public and the aim of this operation is to ensure this happens. We are more than happy to provide advice and support for businesses who want to improve, but we will take enforcement action where establishments continue to fall short of expectations.”

This includes encouraging premises to sign up to the No Proof Of Age – No Sale (NPOANS), scheme which includes a training toolkit to help premises that sell age-restricted products keep within the law by offering practical help and guidance.

Anybody that requires any further information on NPOANS and other guidance should call the Council’s Public Protection Service at 01752 304141.