Five stores fail test purchasing operation in Guildford

As part of Surrey Police’s ongoing work to tackle anti-social behaviour, Guildford’s Safer Neighbourhood Team have been conducting test purchasing of alcohol in stores across Guildford, Ash and Tongham throughout the month of July.

Of the 17 stores tested so far, five stores have failed the test purchasing operation and sold alcohol to an underage customer without asking for ID. The stores are:

Guildford:

• G&J News, Woking Road
• Londis, Bedford Road

 

Ash:

• One Stop, Ash Street
• Co-op, Wharf Road
• Agisha Food & Wine, Shawfield Road

Guildford Licensing Officer, Colin Whitear, said: “We are deeply disappointed that five shops in our borough failed the test purchasing operation. There is a clear link between alcohol and anti-social behaviour, and by licensed premises failing to uphold the law by not selling alcohol to underage customers, they are exacerbating the problem. All businesses with a license to sell alcohol have a responsibility to ensure that they are meeting the conditions of their license and obeying the law.”

PC Madeline Neal from Guildford’s Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “We have been working hard to tackle anti-social behaviour in our communities by using every resource available to us.  Part of this work included auditing local shops to ensure that they weren’t selling alcohol to customers without asking for ID, which we will continue to do across the borough. I’d like to encourage local residents to report any concerns they may have about shops in Guildford selling alcohol to underage customers so that we can fully investigate.”