Licence revoked from High Wycombe Food and Wine off-licence and general store

02 June 2010

A High Wycombe shop has its licence to sell alcohol revoked by Wycombe District Council, following eight breaches of the Licensing Act 2003.

High Wycombe Food and Wine on Desborough Road is no longer allowed to sell alcohol as a result of owner Mr Surjan Sethi's continued breaches of the conditions of his premises licence.

Mr Sethi's premises licence was reviewed at a licensing panel hearing in January 2009 as a result of previous condition breaches and as a consequence, further conditions were imposed. He was warned that failure to comply with these conditions would lead to additional action being taken against the licence which authorised alcohol sales at the Desborough Road store.

Wycombe District Council Licensing Officers made numerous visits to the Desborough Road off-licence over the course of a year and gave repeated warnings to Mr Sethi. Despite these warnings he continued to breach the Licensing Act and conditions of his licence, which resulted in successful prosecution on 19 April 2010. At the time, Mr Sethi pleaded guilty to not complying with previously imposed licence conditions in relation to selling high volume alcohol. He was fined £990 in relation to these offences and the Council's full costs of £550 were awarded against him.

Following the court case, Thames Valley Police requested that the licence be reviewed and on 14 May, Wycombe District Council's licensing panel announced its decision to revoke Mr Sethi's premises licence.

Wycombe District Council's newly appointed Cabinet member for Wellbeing and Neighbourhoods Councillor Clive Harriss commented: "We take great care in setting out licensing conditions to protect the more vulnerable members of the public and continue to support our shopkeepers in these difficult times. In this particular instance additional conditions were placed on the licence because of repeated offences. When these conditions are repeatedly ignored we have to act in the strongest manner to protect the public."

Mr Sethi's solicitors have since appealed the decision of the Licensing Sub Committee to the Magistrates Court and a date for the new hearing will be decided in due course.