October 28, 2011 12.13 pm This story is over 164 months old

Lincoln shop fined for underage alcohol sale

Shop fines: Shops in Lincoln have been tested to see if they are selling alcohol to minors.

Lincolnshire Police have been honing in on shops selling alcohol to minors in Lincoln and the West of the county by issuing fines.

The police issued fines after using two 15-year-old volunteers to test purchase alcohol from various shops.

On October 14, The International Mini Market on High Street sold alcohol to a 16-year-old volunteer, which meant the police fined them £80.

However, this was the only shop in Lincoln to fail the test, and only four other stores in the surrounding villages also received a fine.

Sergent Jock Watt said: “It is really pleasing to see that so many retailers are trading responsibly and we hope that these fines send out a clear message to those that aren’t.

“Test purchase failures can be used as powerful evidence in terms of licence reviews, which can lead to licenses being revoked and this will be used as an option for repeat offenders.”

Other stores that failed the test are in Billinghay, Ruskington, Sleaford and RAF Cranwell. In Grantham and Stamford, no shops sold alcohol to the minors.

To report a shop selling alcohol to under 18s, call the police on 0300 111 0300.

Source: Lincolnshire Police