Shop linked to anti-social behaviour loses licence

Staff at Rossendale Food & Booze, 49 Newchurch Road, Rawtenstall, sold vodka to under-18s, police said

An off-licence shop has had its premises licence revoked after selling alcohol to youngsters under 18, which was linked to town centre trouble.

It included planned fights and anti-social behaviour at a Rawtenstall Market Foodie Fridays event in April, Rossendale councillors were told at a licensing review brought by Lancashire Police.

Staff at Rossendale Food & Booze, 49 Newchurch Road, Rawtenstall, sold vodka to under-18s various times and a knife on one occasion, the panel heard.

"The protection of children from harm is being disregarded at the premises," councillors ruled.

'Intoxicated children'

Pervaz Iqbal was named as a personal licence holder and Janayd Naim as a premises supervisor at a Rossendale Council licensing review.

The shop's premises licence is linked to a company based nearby at School Street Mini-Market, located at 404 Newchurch Road, Stacksteads, council documents stated.

A licensing report said that during 2024 "underage children were purchasing alcohol from Rossendale Food & Booze" that "caused issues for the market and surrounding areas, including meeting for arranged fights and an underage girl who had bought vodka from the shop ended-up semi-conscious and sick".

Between May and October, county council trading standards officers conducted an under-age sales test purchases including a 14-year-old volunteer who was sold a knife and three 16 and 17 year-old girls were sold cans of vodka.

Authorities said they were concerned about poor shop management and a meeting was held in July 2024 with the licence holder, who received multiple penalty notices.

After the licensing review, a Rossendale Council report said: "The incidents have led to anti-social behaviour around the area, which involved intoxicated children, and this affected local businesses.

"The sub-committee also notes that non-compliant vapes were on display, which is illegal.

"Advice was given by Trading Standards to remove these. However,  advice was not complied with.

"There was no credible system to prevent under-age sales  and no measures in place to avoid harm to children and to prevent crime and disorder."