Westminster Sunny Corner shop faces being closed down after selling booze to undercover inspectors

Westminster City Council said its officers were offered drinks past Sunny Corner’s 11pm cut-off on two separate occasions in July.

Inspectors, who are calling for the premises to lose its licence, also found spirits, wines and prosecco freely on display when they should have been locked behind counters. According to a council report, Sunny Corner said it was unaware it had to lock all alcohol away while the Metropolitan Police found it had made some improvements but not enough to ensure it stays open.

Westminster City licensing inspectors visited the premises, on Harrow Road in Maida Hill, on July 16 and July 20 following tip-offs the shop had been breaching its licensing conditions. During their first undercover inspection, officers were offered a bottle of strong tonic wine at 11.55pm.

When they returned four days later, they found alcoholic drinks on display and were handed a bottle of Smirnoff Ice by an employee who grabbed it from a cabinet that had a pull-down cover over it. On July 22, officers told the licence holder’s son and a member of staff the store had failed its inspection.

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They said the store had also failed to make the number of a manager publicly available and found the tills did not automatically ask for age verification – all of which were conditions on Sunny’s licence when it was granted just a month earlier. The store’s management also passed up two chances to meet with council inspectors to discuss the issues that had been identified.

At 11.24pm on August 25, inspectors found the store open and trading with handwritten notices displayed in the window advertising ‘Carnival’ promotions of alcohol. A council report read: “While the officers stood at the pedestrian crossing facing the front of the shop on Harrow Road, a male member of staff noticed them, he called another man, who was later identified as the business owner and licensee.

“The licence holder began lowering the automated shutters as the officers stood near to the entrance of the premises. The licence holder looked across at the officers, who waved and called him outside.

“The officers asked if they were now closing, the licence holder replied ‘Yes’. Since there were customers inside the premises, the officers suggested having a chat inside.

“At the counter, there were three male customers. One of the male’s was obviously drunk and involved in an altercation with one of the other males. The third male who appeared to have been served already intervened and together with a member of staff removed the drunk male from the shop.”

Officers then spoke to the licence holder and his son regarding alcohol still being on display. The licence holder claimed they had ordered the shutters and would have to lodge a variation application with the council in order to fit them because it would change the layout of the shop.

The men then claimed they were under the impression that only the spirits behind the counter had to be secured. Officers then showed them the conditions of their licence which clearly stated all alcohol had to be secured at all times of the day.

Officers wrote: “In total there have now been four non-compliant visits and in spite of officer’s best efforts to achieve compliance, the premises continues to operate in a way that impacts negatively on the Harrow Road ward. Adding to increased anti-social behaviour with large groups purchasing drinks and congregating nearby late into the night at the junction with Elgin Avenue and Harrow Road and also in Portnall Road near the junction with Harrow Road.

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“The licence holder has also failed to engage with officers regarding alleged offences. Despite our best efforts to try and gain compliance through engaging with the premises and by imposing civil penalties, it has had no meaningful lasting impact, and the premises does not seem to be acting responsibly.

“As such, given the serious and repetitive nature of these incidents, and our concerns that these will not be resolved by the licence holder, we respectfully ask that the licence is revoked in line with the licensing objectives.”

It’s a sentiment also felt by the Met Police, which backed the initial review and submitted a letter to Westminster City’s licensing committee calling for the shop to close for good. Met officers visited the convenience store on September 18 and October 2 and in both instances found staff unable to work the CCTV, drinks on open display and a lack of prominent signage regarding when alcohol could be cold, the sale of super-strong alcohol, and an incident log which was not up to date.

PC Moldoon wrote: “We also fully support the revocation of this premises licence as it has been clear that in this short time of having a licence the venue have not only failed to uphold the licensing objectives but have failed the most basic points of following the premises licence conditions”.

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Sunny Corner said it had sold alcohol one minute over time. They said there were no beers above 5.5pc alcohol on sale.

They said there was some in a cooler that had to be shifted behind the counter in accordance with the law and that this was done. They said all staff are trained, and the training is logged in a training manual.

They added the CCTV has been rectified and was working and that staff were being fully trained in it and were conversant in it. Westminster City Council will review Sunny Corner’s licence on Thursday, December 5.