Lincoln pub fined for selling alcohol to minor

A Lincoln pub has been fined for selling alcohol to underage volunteers in a sting operation.

Lincolnshire Poacher, on Bunkers Hill in Lincoln, has been fined £90 after a member of staff sold alcohol to a teenage volunteer on August 8.

In the joint operation by Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Trading Standards, two volunteers aged 16 and 17 attempted to buy alcohol in several pubs in Lincoln and Louth.

The Greyhound at 38 Upgate in Louth was also fined £90 for selling alcohol to a minor. Meanwhile, two premises, one in Lincoln and one in Louth, either refused entry or refused the sale of alcohol.

The premises operators at both fined venues have also been invited to meet with Police Licensing and Trading Standards officers at date to be determined.

Both pubs will be retested at a later date, Lincolnshire Police said in a statement.

Licensing Officer PC Ian Figgitt said: “These test purchase operations are all intelligence led, involving premises where we have received information that the staff are selling age-restricted products to underage people.

“On the receipt of such information, the people running the shops, pubs, bars or clubs are sent letters advising them that this information has been received to enable them to check their staff and ensure they are not selling or to stop them selling.

“We make serious efforts to warn, educate and advise suspect premises to deal with this issue of underage sales and the impact it has upon anti social and criminal behaviour in local communities and the harmful effects on the health of young people.”

Daniel Brown, Trading Standards officer, added: “Operations such as this one help tackle the problem of underage drinking by sending out a clear message to traders that we are monitoring their activity and that we are prepared to take action against those that break the law.”