Wolverhampton shop’s request to sell single cans of high-strength booze turned down

Aaryan Superstores in Parkfield Road, Ettingshall, was hoping to sell beers, lagers and ciders with an ABV of 6.5 per cent or above as single units, and made a request for the conditions preventing this to be removed from its licence.

However, Wolverhampton Council’s statutory licensing sub-committee this week refused the shop’s application on the grounds it could increase risks to those affected by alcohol-related harm and also lead to a rise in anti-social behaviour.

Members earlier heard from Patrick Currie, the solicitor acting on behalf of the store, who said: “The applicant is concerned that these conditions are too restrictive to his business. There are a number of other alcohol outlets within the vicinity of his business which do not have these restrictions.

“So when someone enters his shop seeking a single unit of alcohol and refusal is given, that person will walk to the next store where they do not have these restrictions, and then that shop gets the benefit of custom which should have been his.

“If I want one can of beer as I’m walking home from work after a busy day, and my only means of alcohol consumption is having one can of beer before I get home because perhaps I don’t want the wife seeing me having any more than that or drinking in the house, I could then buy four cans and drink four times as much,” he added.

The council's section leader for licensing, Amitabh Singh, said: “The removal of these conditions would undermine the licensing objective of the prevention of crime and disorder.

"These conditions are to create a price barrier to high-strength drinks, restricting access for problem drinkers buying just single cans/cider bottles, which is particularly favoured by street drinkers who may have alcohol dependencies.”

Senior public health specialist Ryan Hollings told members: “The variation request to introduce the sale of single cans or bottles of super-strength alcohol undermines the aims to prevent increasing the likelihood of risk to those affected by alcohol-related harm.

“In addition, national evidence links single can sales of high-strength alcohol to high levels of alcohol dependence.

"Initiatives designed to tackle the problems associated with street drinking have removed the sale of low-priced, high-strength alcohol products, and alcohol-related crime in the area fell by 32 per cent compared to the previous year,” he added.

Council solicitor Ronald Sempebwa said: “The committee remains concerned about the evidence provided in relation to public health’s concerns – both anecdotal and statistical – specifically regarding Wolverhampton, which unfortunately remains at or near the top of the list of places for alcohol-related problems. Therefore, for all these reasons the application to vary the licence is refused.”