Shop loses booze licence for selling strong ciders to street drinkers

A SHOP branded a “significant contributor” to antisocial behaviour problems in Stockton town centre has lost its licence to sell alcohol.

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

Dhillon Food Wine, known as Rowntrees, sold cheap strong cider to street drinkers who were seen waiting for the shop to open at 6am, Stockton Council's licensing subcommittee heard.

The store's supervisor told officers the business relied on selling the drinks to survive and they took up more than half of its sales.

Muhammed Adnan Rabani, who has run the shop on Dovecot Street, Stockton town centre since April, disputed the comments to the committee on Monday, September 29, saying he was asked "is it 50%?" and "I just agreed 'OK, I didn't have the right figures in front of me. If that was the case, the shop would have been closed by now."

He denied selling to drunks, said the offending drinks were now "gone" and banned from the shop, which he said would close if it lost its licence.

Licensing officer Elliott Beevers said: "The premises was identified as one of the main premises continually supplying low-cost, high-strength cans of cider to street drinkers."

He said issues continued, and worsened, despite assurances.

He told the hearing: "It has been confirmed 50% of the shop sales are from low-cost high-strength supply of cans of cider, the drink of choice for some of the most vulnerable and deprived residents of the borough.

"This store, in my opinion, is a significant contributor to the issues in the town centre."