THE owner of an Aveley store has had his licence suspended for a month after an employee sold alcohol to a 15-year-old council volunteer.

Pradip Kantilal Sedani runs Aveley Supermarket, trading as Londis, in Romford Road, which sold the 275ml bottle of Smirnoff Ice to the girl, who was volunteering with Thurrock Council’s trading standards team, on Friday, August 2.

The girl was not asked for ID by the employee, who had worked there for four years, and she was consequently issued with an £90 fixed penalty notice.

She had visited five other stores and was not served booze.

The council’s licensing sub-committee, meeting on Wednesday, December 11 to review the licence and agreed eight conditions should be imposed including appropriate training of staff and that a system is introduced prompting staff to check a customer’s age when selling age-restricted goods.

The licensee must introduce the measures in the one-month suspension period, Councillor Ben Maney, chair of the sub-committee, said: “Thurrock Council has shown over recent months that it takes the sale of alcohol to under aged people very seriously indeed and it is important that the correct measures are in place to counter it.

“Proper training is imperative as are the use of tills that remind staff to check. It is also important that this is fully in place as soon as possible.

“Alcohol and vulnerable young people should not mix.”

A Tilbury licensee was only given a warning less than two weeks ago after he sold alcohol to a girl the same age.