A Liverpool shop which has been selling alcohol two hours after it was allowed to, has been given a later licence.
Ali’s Newsagents, based at 88-90 Holt Road in Kensington, has been selling alcohol from 7am-11pm seven days per week since 2007.
However, today’s meeting of Liverpool Council’s Licensing and Gambling Sub-Committee heard that it only has a licence to sell alcohol until 9pm.
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Speaking on behalf of Mohammed Ali, the applicant, Paul Douglas said the shop did have a licence allowing it to sell alcohol until 11pm between 2007 and 2014.
Mr Douglas added that in 2014 Mr Ali was then sent a licence only allowing him to sell alcohol until 9pm and suggested this was an administrative error by the council.
He added that Ali’s Newsagents has been running for 14 years without any issues or complaints from Merseyside Police and that street drinkers or underage drinkers would not even try to buy alcohol at the shop because they know they would be turned away.
Labour councillor Christine Banks, who chaired the three-councillor panel tasked with deciding whether to accept the application, said the premises could not blame the fact it had been selling alcohol two hours beyond its licence on anyone else and had to take responsibility for this.
After making some complaints about the council failing to act on phone calls he had made asking to have the licence amended, Mr Ali accepted that it was his responsibility to make sure he had the correct licence in place.
Cllr Liam Robinson, who represents Kensington and Fairfield for Labour, said there was an issue with street drinkers in the area and that some in the area were worried about the impact a later licence could have on this, particularly given that single cans are sold at the shop.
In the end, the committee granted the application to extend the alcohol licence allowing the shop to sell booze until 11pm, with Cllr Banks saying there were no sufficient reasons to refuse it.
However, she added that the shop should review its decision to sell single cans and high strength beer.
