Booze licence bid at 'problem' town centre shop turned down

A town centre shop where trading standards officers suspected ‘runners’ were being used to bring in illicit goods has had a booze licence request turned down. Objections were made from the police and Bolton council’s licensing team on the granting of an alcohol licence for Farnworth Mini-Markets on Higher Market Street in the town.

The application requested permission to sell booze Sunday to Thursday from 8am to midnight and Friday and Saturday 8am to 2am. Evidence put before the licensing panel included that a previous application for alcohol sales at the shop was refused in May. A licensing team statement, published by Bolton council ahead of the hearing, detailed suspicions about ‘runners’ operating at the premises. It said: “Since the licence was refused the shop has been visited by officers and found to be mostly closed, but on the odd occasion it has been open no alcohol was on sale.

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“On Thursday July 25, a further visit was made by trading standards, and a quantity of non-compliant illegal vaping products were discovered on sale. It was also noted that there were two young males in and around the shop, who were suspected to be acting as runners between the shop and an unidentified location nearby, thought to be storing the illicit products.”

The applicant told trading standards officers the two men suspected as being runners by the officers ‘were his friends’. During the licensing hearing, a representative for the applicant said ‘there was no actual evidence to support’ the allegation that there were runners outside the premises.

He added that a risk assessment had been undertaken and the four licensing objectives had been met and the conditions which had been placed on the licence were robust. In his objection, Bolton licensing police officer PC Ben Brookfield said in recent months he had been ‘tackling the illegal activities associated with this premises and that the shop had previously been subject to enforcement action after which its licence was revoked’.

PC Brookfield said: “Since the refusal of the licence, I am aware colleagues have visited the premises and it has been mostly closed. However, in July, a further visit was made by trading standards, and a quantity of non-compliant
illegal vaping products were discovered on sale.” The minutes of the hearing said PC Brookfield summarised ‘issues and problems with the premises which were associated with illegal activity’.

The panel’s decision was to refuse the alcohol licence. The panel’s decision said: “The sub-committee was concerned regarding the visit in July, 2024 when the shop was found to be selling illegal vapes.

“We supported the objections and the evidence submitted by the responsible authorities and felt that the application did not comply with the licensing objectives of prevention of crime and disorder, public safety or protection of children from harm.”