Underage drinking crackdown

On 21 October police officers visited 12 premises in Brighton & Hove and 11 passed the identification checks to deter underage drinking.

One venue failed after an underage volunteer was served by the designated premises supervisor, who will now face prosecution under the Licensing Act 2003 for allowing the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18.

As part of Operation Teepee, volunteers under the age of 18 attempt to purchase alcohol and, if a sale is made, education or enforcement action is taken.

Similarly, officers test shops for their adherence to the ‘Challenge 25 policy’ which is the requirement to verify the age of customers who look younger than 25.

Over the course of 2021, two premises failed Challenge 25 tests. They were issued licence breach warning letters and passed when retested.

Seven premises served volunteers under the age of 18. Five of these had conditions added to their licences, six were issued with formal warnings and met with licensing officers and one designated supervisor will be prosecuted.