Extra conditions put on Sheffield shop accused of selling alcohol to children

Basharit Khan and his family have operated Hangingwater Stores, on Hangingwater Road, for more than 30 years.

The Sheffield Children’s Safeguarding Partnership (SCSP) called for a review of his licence following concerning reports including a case where a 14 year-old girl was hospitalised after drinking Malibu and vodka she said she bought in the store.

The council’s licensing sub committee decided this week to keep Mr Khan’s premises licence in place with additional conditions.

The conditions are:

- CCTV will be installed and footage kept for 28 days and made available on request by police or council officers

- CCTV cameras will at least cover the front door, till and areas where alcohol is available

- During open hours a member of staff must be working on premises and be able to access CCTV

- All members of staff involved in selling alcohol must be trained at least once every three months and a record of training must be kept for at least 12 months

- A member of staff who completed the safeguarding training must be on premises at all times alcohol is on sale after November 1

- A log of instances where alcohol sales are refused must be kept for at least 12 months.

Julie Hague, of SCSP, said concerns were first raised in 2018 when police received reports of alcohol being sold to children in school uniform.

Trading standards visited later that year with a ‘mystery shopper’ and said staff failed to check identification despite the shopper looking younger than 18.

The service referred management for free training but no one attended.

This year SCSP received more reports of underage sales ‘routinely’ taking place.

When police requested CCTV footage they were told it was locked in the cellar and the key was unavailable.

Christopher Grunert, representing Mr Khan, said there was no trouble raised with the shop for decades leading up to the reports and said no child was knowingly sold alcohol on the premises. He added it was ‘shocking’ a small number of people suggested the shop had a reputation for underage sales.

14 members of the local community also wrote to support Mr Khan.

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