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Home Secretary announces final conditions of a proposed mandatory code for alcohol retailers
The conditions will be applied to all alcohol retailers to ensure consistent good practice and to crack down on problem premises, where irresponsible drinking could put individuals at risk and lead to crime and anti-social behaviour.
The proposed conditions are:
- banning irresponsible promotions, such as ‘all you can drink for £10’ or ‘women drink free’ deals, that encourage people to drink quickly or irresponsibly
- banning ‘dentist’s chairs’ where drink is poured directly into the mouths of customers, making it impossible for them to control the amount they are drinking
- ensuring free tap water is available for customers, allowing people to space out their drinks
- ensuring all those who sell alcohol have an age-verification policy in place, requiring them to check the ID of anyone who looks under-18
- ensuring small measures of beers, wine and spirits are made available to customers
Any premises that breach the code or any secondary conditions will risk a range of possible sanctions, including losing their licence, having additional tough conditions imposed on their licence, or facing a maximum £20,000 fine and/or six months imprisonment.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said, ‘Alcohol-related crime costs the UK billions of pounds every year and while the vast majority of retailers are responsible, a minority continue to run irresponsible promotions which fuel the excessive drinking that leads to alcohol-related crime and disorder.
‘We have consulted extensively with the public and the alcohol industry to ensure that these conditions will only target the most irresponsible practices that most people agree should not happen anywhere.’
The first three conditions (irresponsible promotions, the ‘dentist’s chair’ and free tap water) will come into effect on 6 April 2010.
The remaining conditions (age verification policies and smaller measures) will come into effect on 1 October 2010, to give retailers time to prepare.
Additionally, from 29 January local councils will gain tough new powers to make it quicker and easier for them to tackle problem premises by calling for a review to restrict or remove licences, without having to wait for the police or local residents to complain.
The proposed conditions of the code will now go before Parliament for approval. The power to introduce a mandatory code of conduct for alcohol retailers was granted through the Policing and Crime Act 2009.
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