Retailers have slammed plans to fine retailers or their assistants who sell alcohol to under-18s.
The Home Office is planning to introduce on-the-spot fines for minors attempting to buy alcohol - but will also extend the scheme to retailers and their staff caught selling to minors.
Addressing a meeting of MPs and trade bodies organised by the all-party parliamentary beer group, home office minister Hazel Blears said the new powers would be included in regulations that would also
enable the police to issue fixed penalty notices to shoplifters (The Grocer, September 4, p10).
The new rules would also cover ‘proxy buyers’ - adults who buy alcohol for teens.
The regulations would not require an Act of Parliament, as they would simply be added onto existing legislation, and will come into force in November.
Association of Convenience Stores public affairs and communications manager James Lowman welcomed the move to put pressure on underage buyers. However, he warned that although the new regulations appeared to strike a new balance, placing responsibility on the purchaser for the first time as well as the retailer, in practice they would unfairly target the retailer.
“It is easy for the police to catch retailers and assistants with test purchasing operations, but retailers are unlikely to phone the police when a minor tries to buy alcohol.”
He said the size of the fines - up to £80 - could be heavy for part-time assistants who made an honest mistake. “Working the average 16 hours a week at £5 an hour, £80 would represent a full week’s wages.”
The new regulations were unveiled as the Home Office released the results on its alcohol blitz from the beginning of July to the end of August.
The results revealed that 1,825 test purchase operations were carried out and that 32% of off licences and 51% of on-licence premises were selling alcohol to children under the age of 18.
The Home Office is planning to introduce on-the-spot fines for minors attempting to buy alcohol - but will also extend the scheme to retailers and their staff caught selling to minors.
Addressing a meeting of MPs and trade bodies organised by the all-party parliamentary beer group, home office minister Hazel Blears said the new powers would be included in regulations that would also
enable the police to issue fixed penalty notices to shoplifters (The Grocer, September 4, p10).
The new rules would also cover ‘proxy buyers’ - adults who buy alcohol for teens.
The regulations would not require an Act of Parliament, as they would simply be added onto existing legislation, and will come into force in November.
Association of Convenience Stores public affairs and communications manager James Lowman welcomed the move to put pressure on underage buyers. However, he warned that although the new regulations appeared to strike a new balance, placing responsibility on the purchaser for the first time as well as the retailer, in practice they would unfairly target the retailer.
“It is easy for the police to catch retailers and assistants with test purchasing operations, but retailers are unlikely to phone the police when a minor tries to buy alcohol.”
He said the size of the fines - up to £80 - could be heavy for part-time assistants who made an honest mistake. “Working the average 16 hours a week at £5 an hour, £80 would represent a full week’s wages.”
The new regulations were unveiled as the Home Office released the results on its alcohol blitz from the beginning of July to the end of August.
The results revealed that 1,825 test purchase operations were carried out and that 32% of off licences and 51% of on-licence premises were selling alcohol to children under the age of 18.
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