A WOMAN has been prosecuted, and two stores have had their alcohol licences suspended after they were caught selling alcohol to underage drinkers.

Kalyani Patel was fined for selling alcohol to an underage volunteer as part of Operation Teepee - a Sussex Police operation which carries out test purchases at licensed premises across Brighton and Hove.

It was the second time the 55-year-old, was working at Wild Park Local in Barcombe Road, had failed a test.

Patel, of Barcombe Road, Brighton, pleaded guilty to selling alcohol to a person aged under 18.

She was fined £300 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £34 victim surcharge.

Wild Park Local and Moonlight, in Church Road, Hove, both failed the police checks by serving underage teenagers on more than one occasion.

At a Licensing Panel hearing, Wild Park Local’s alcohol licence was suspended for one month to allow the licence holder to put preventative measures in place, including a robust staff training programme.

An electronic system was also installed on the tills, requiring staff members involved in the sale of alcohol to confirm that a customer is believed to be over 25 years old, or that ID has been provided.

The store was warned a further breach of licence conditions would likely see its licence withdrawn.

Moonlight’s licence has been suspended for two weeks to allow for refresher training and changes to be made based on conditions added to the store’s licence.

Extra conditions include all alcohol products to be visible to staff members and alcohol fridges to be fitted with a buzzer to alert when they are opened.

An electronic system was also installed on the tills, and an external company must be employed to carry out test purchases – the results of which will be available to Sussex Police and Trading Standards.

Licensing Officer Hannah Staplehurst said: “The sale of alcohol to underage drinkers will absolutely not be tolerated in Brighton and Hove, and we will always work with premises to educate and put measures in place to stop repeat occurrences.

“The conditions applied to licences at the latest hearings show that we are willing to engage with licence holders, but multiple breaches will result in alcohol licences being revoked.

“Through Operation Teepee, our Licensing Team will continue to carry out unannounced checks across the city to make sure licence holders and staff are aware of their responsibilities.”

All refusals of alcohol must be recorded, and external company employed to deliver training to all customer-facing staff about the sale of alcohol, with refresher training to take place every six months.