Welsh pubs to shut after sting failures
Three North Wales bars are to shut their doors over one of the busiest pre-Christmas weekends to avoid prosecution for underage sales.
The venues in Rhyl — which all served under-18s three times in sting operations — will close from 7pm tomorrow (Friday 11 December) and reopen on 7pm on Sunday 13 December.
The aim is to put in place extra staff training and "more robust measures" for avoiding sales to minors.
Boswell's in Bodfor Street (now re-named Rumours), the Grapevine in Water Street and Venue 4 Events were told they would be prosecuted if they didn't agree to shut over the period.
The move came after two 15-year-old girls bought alcohol in 13 out of 15 venues during the stings.
Those that failed stings once have been sent formal warning letters that are to be kept on file by the council.
Those that failed twice will have their licences reviewed to impose new conditions that will aim to avoid underage sales.
In a statement, the council said its aim was "not to prosecute offenders" but to ensure that licensees do all they can to prevent underage sales.
Trade figures have questioned why the closures must occur at the weekend, which would have a big impact on sales.
The stings took place across three Fridays in November.
The Morning Advertiser understands that venues were targeted three times regardless of the whether they passed any of the operations, leading to accusations that police were being disproportionate.
The Morning Advertiserwas unable to speak to licensees of the three bars for comment on the operations but Rumours licensee Stuart Birch told the Denbighshire Visitor: "We are under new management. This is now a brand new business."
Don't get caught
Serve Legal, the mock test purchase company, offers this advice for avoiding underage sales over Christmas:
• Encourage staff to make eye contact with the customer as early as possible
• Stress the absolute need for staff to ask and check customer ID and ensure young people have an acceptable proof-of-age card with the PASS logo
• Use Think 21/Think 25 point-of-sale material as much as possible to create a culture where all staff and customers expect ID to be requested
• Keep a detailed record of all admission and service refusals in a logbook or via the till, to demonstrate due diligence and show that you manage a well-run pub. Include the date and time, gender of customer, member of staff responsible
• Carry out regular, random checks to test the effectiveness of your management and operating systems
• Communicate results of test purchases to all staff. Celebrate success and front up to failures
