Tipton shop fails to regain alcohol licence
Owners of a shop in Tipton have failed in an effort to regain its licence to sell alcohol after serious concerns were raised by the police and trading standards.
Lifestyle Express in Tividale Road was stripped of its licence last year after non-duty paid alcohol was seized from the premises.
Alcohol had also been sold to a youth three years earlier.
Even after the licence had been revoked alcohol was found being displayed for sale in the shop.
The family running the business claimed the man who was previously in control would no longer be working at the shop, where a worker was the victim of an acid attack last July.
Nargus Bedum, who has taken over the business, said the shop had been hit hard by not being able to sell alcohol and that she would be able to run the premises responsibly.
She also claimed she had not been involved with the business since 2010.
But police and trading standards said they were not convinced there had been enough of a 'divorce' from the previous regime.
West Midlands Police licensing officer Mick Boyd said he believed the application was nothing more than a 'ploy' to have the licence reinstated and would make little difference to how the shop was run.
Mr Boyd said: "Changing a member of the family to another does not, in the police's eyes, change anything relating to how the shop is run.
"There will be no change to the day-to-day operation of the business. West Midlands Police is of the opinion it is just a change of name."
The owners of the shop were warned about their future conduct in 2011 after alcohol was sold to a 16-year-old. Their licence was then revoked last February after police and trading standards officers found alcohol on which tax had not been paid, although an attempt to appeal the decision meant the licence actually remained in place until September.
Police then paid another visit to the shop after receiving a tip off that alcohol was continuing to be sold despite the loss of the licence. They found alcohol was still being displayed for sale.
Peter Allen, chairman of Sandwell Council's licensing committee, said the panel had refused the application as they were not convinced Ms Begum had no prior involvement in the business and over concerns alcohol had been found on display at the shop.
