Costcutter pays price for after-hours alcohol

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
09/05/2008

A Shepherds Bush supermarket that flouted the law by selling beer through the night and employing illegal immigrants has been banned from selling alcohol.

Police called on Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s licensing sub-committee to review the licence of Costcutter at 134, Uxbridge Road after workers were caught in March selling alcohol at 4.35am – almost six hours after their licence cut-off point. 

That final straw came after a series of offences dating back to February the previous year and the arrest of two illegal immigrants on the same day but on two separate visits.

Met officers visited Costcutter on January 23 in the early hours of the morning. They instructed the manager to display his licence and arrested an illegal worker, who had no understanding of licensing legislation.

Police returned at 9pm to find that orders to put the licence up had been ignored and that, unbelievably, another illegal immigrant had been left to run the supermarket alone. He too was arrested on the spot.

Managers locally and at head office ignored repeated written and verbal warnings from police and H&F officers to adhere to licensing conditions, following spot visits and months of monitoring the premises. 

Representatives from Costcutter, part of Pricecheck PLC, attended the hearing and admitted offences had taken place, though they offered mitigating evidence.

Councillor Alex Karmel, chairman of the licensing sub-committee, said: “It seemed that the shop was open 24-hours a day, the alcohol aisle was never blocked off and alcohol was being sold after licensing hours.
 
“The premises showed clear lack of management and refused to enter into dialogue with the council or police about how to solve problems. We had little choice but to revoke their licence and, along with the police, our officers will continue to monitor this and other premises in the borough.”