fines in under-18s blitz
by John Harrington
Two bar workers in Brighton are among the first to be issued with £80 on-the-spot fines in England and Wales for serving alcohol to under-18s.
The two workers at the Salt-dean Tavern in Saltdean and the Downs Hotel in Woodingdean were issued with one of the new £80 fixed-penalty notices, which came into force in April, following a targeted sting operation by police and trading standards last Friday.
Police are also considering what action to take against a worker at an off-licence that was also caught out.
British Beer & Pub Association director of communications Mark Hastings said he had not heard many examples of bar workers being issued with the new fine.
He urged pubs to take every precaution to avoid under-age sales, because 'if they do serve under-18s they are breaking the law and deserve a penalty.
Federation of Licensed Vic-tuallers Association chief exec- utive Tony Payne said: 'It's a warning for everybody that once one police force or local authority starts issuing the fines, it could happen to everybody.
Seven pubs in Brighton and Hove were visited last Friday night. A 16-year-old boy and two 17-year-olds tried to buy alcohol in each venue.
Brighton and Hove Police licensing officer David Bateup said that as part of their summer crackdown, uniformed police will walk around pubs and ask licensees to prove that customers who look under-age have proper ID.
'Then we would say to the licensee, 'would this gentlemen or lady be able to prove that they have suitable ID?'. If it becomes apparent that the licensee or their staff has admitted and served under-age persons we will pursue the matter further.
Bateup warned that the crackdown would be stepped up under the new licensing regime.
Meanwhile, the owner of one of the pubs caught serving a minor labelled the sting operation 'entrapment.
Downs Hotel owner Jim Farr said staff had refused to serve one of the teenagers, but made a mistake in calculating the age of a 17-year-old when checking his ID.
Farr said: 'It feels like entrapment in the same way you would (if you were caught) with a hidden speed camera.