Police warn city shop may fuel under-age drinking

Police have warned against a new convenience store being allowed to sell alcohol near a trouble hotspot in a city centre.

The shop in Norwich is close to the Haymarket area where there have been regular reports of anti-social behaviour, including a fight involving a baseball bat.

In a letter to the city council, Norfolk Police said another shop run by the applicants had sold drink to under-age customers and it expected similar reports about the new one.

David Cassidy, who has applied for the licence, said his company took "licensing matters very seriously" and the new premises would "operate responsibly".

Towards the end of last year, large numbers of children and teenagers regularly gathered at weekends at the Haymarket off Gentleman's Walk.

Police said they had seen under-age drinking and received reports about minor criminal damage.

Seven arrests were later made after reports of a large fight involving a baseball bat, and police said four teenage boys remained on bail.

The proposed convenience store – which would be in the former Siddalls shoe shop on St Stephens Street – is less than two minutes away on foot.

Norfolk Police has said it is concerned it will be run by Cassidy and Imran Mohammed, who also operate Ali's News on London Street.

Mohammed was stripped of his alcohol licence for that business for allowing under-age sales, but a new one was later granted to Cassidy.

However, in a letter to the city council, police licensing officer Michelle Bartram said when officers visited shop, Cassidy was "never seen on site".

Bartram said police wanted any licence to have tight conditions but felt "no number of conditions would remedy the ongoing concerns".

In response, Cassidy told the BBC "we take all licensing matters very seriously".

"We look forward to addressing the concerns fully at the licensing hearing and demonstrating the measures and controls we are proposing to ensure the premises operates responsibly and in full compliance with licensing objectives," he added.

The council's licensing panel is set to make its decision on Monday.

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