On-licensees in Powys are being warned that they could be prosecuted if they sell alcohol to an underage person after the county council prosecuted two ‘designated premise supervisors’ of pubs/hotels last month.
Powys County Council’s Trading Standards Service is also warning businesses who sell or supply alcohol that they must now hold an age verification policy and ensure they offer smaller serving measures to their customers.
The two north Powys establishments were found guilty by Welshpool Magistrates Court on Friday 15 October and had to pay fines and costs totalling £1,330.
The prosecutions came two weeks after two new mandatory alcohol licensing conditions came into force. The new conditions apply to all licensed premises and those with a club premises certificate in England and Wales.
If businesses sell or supply alcohol, they must have an age verification policy in place for their premises. As a minimum they must have a policy that requires people who appear to be under the age of 18 to be asked, before being served alcohol, to produce identification showing their:
- photograph
- date of birth
- a holographic mark (PASS approved)
Staff working in these venues must be made aware of the existence and content of the age verification policy.
If retailers are responsible for serving alcohol, they must make sure that the following drinks (if sold in the premises) are available in the following measures:
- beer or cider – half pint
- gin, rum, vodka or whisky – 25ml or 35ml
- still wine in a glass – 125ml
Retailers must also make sure their customers are aware of the availability of these measures.
Cllr Graham Brown, Board Member for Public Protection, said: “The majority of retailers take their responsibilities towards selling alcohol very seriously however there are some retailers that continue to sell alcohol in an irresponsible manner. We want to ensure that all premises in the county abide by these two conditions.”
Ken Yorston, the council’s Trading Standards Manager, said: “Tackling the sale of alcohol to anyone under the age of 18 is an important area of work for our Service. For a number of years we have carried out test purchase exercises on traders to establish whether they will sell alcohol to those under age.
“Alcohol is an age restricted product for a genuine reason – the implications for a young people’s health, welfare and general development cannot be ignored. For this reason, we will continue with our test purchase exercises and have a range of enforcement options available if anyone is caught, including prosecution.
“Many businesses have adopted a ‘Challenge 25’ approach and request staff to verify ages of most young people. Free validate cards are still being offered within the county by our service.”
