The Selsey convenience store license has been suspended by Chichester Council

The high street shop, formerly known as The Rock Shop, became the subject of a licensing hearing after being caught making a trade standards breathalyzer purchase in August.

During a meeting of members of the Chichester Borough Council’s Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Subcommittee, it was agreed that the store’s license should be suspended and Sanjakumar Patel removed as Designated Superintendent of the Building.

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A Trading Standards spokesman gave details of a series of incidents, including the sale of a bottle of vodka to a 15-year-old girl using her older sister’s temporary driver’s license as ID.

He added: “This incident resulted in paramedics having to attend to it [the girl] at a fireworks event in Selsey.”

The meeting was told a number of other stores were tested on the same day as Selsey convenience store, but none of them were selling alcohol to the children and all asked to see ID.

The spokesperson did not accept that the sales were due to “human error” or “an error”, adding: “Information obtained from West Sussex County Council’s Trading Standards suggests that restricted products are regularly distributed to children were sold.

“In our view, the objectives of the license – to protect children from harm and to prevent crime and disorder – have been disregarded.”

In a statement to the committee, Mr Patel said staff refused to sell to a child 59 times between April 2020 and October 2022 and were praised by trading standards after refusing on a previous test purchase, to a child for sale.

However, Trading Standards pointed out that the test purchase was organized after a complaint that a vape had been sold to a 12-year-old boy.

The spokesman said the sale of vaporizers to underage people was “becoming a significant problem” and told Sussex Police information that parents had been told it was “common knowledge among local school children that this shop willingly sells age-restricted products sold to children”.

The meeting heard Mr Patel is also the company director and designated building supervisor for Premier Chichester Road in Bersted, which is also being investigated after a child bought two cans of pre-mixed pink gin & tonic.

In a statement, Mr Patel said: “As a parent, I recognize the importance of protecting children from harm in all circumstances, even if they knowingly try to deceive me or my staff with false identification.

“I don’t accept – and I think my denial register backs this up – that the premises are a soft touch.

“In fact, I think many other outlets in the area would agree that there are some youngsters out to get shopkeepers to break the law and that the authorities need help and guidance in carrying out their duties are welcomed.”

The committee agreed that the Selsey convenience store’s license should be suspended so that a new designated building supervisor could be brought in to bring business processes, training and record keeping to the required level.