Licensing
Underage sales

At the end of January 2010 the Government introduced the “two strikes” legislation.

This means that if somebody (not necessarily the same person) is cautioned, convicted or accepts a fixed penalty notice for the sale of alcohol to a person under the age of 18 twice in a three month period at the same premises then the premises face closure and the Premises Licence Holder a substantial fine.

The Police and Trading Standards conduct regular underage test purchases, as they now find it much easier to take action against premises who are found to be persistently selling alcohol to persons under the age of 18.

Due Diligence
Severe action is less likely if you can show that you have done everything you possibly can to reduce the sale of alcohol to under 18s. You should put the following procedures in place:

• Adopt the 'Challenge 21' or 'Challenge 25' policy – train all staff and keep documented training records even for experienced staff. 

• Conduct regular refresher training

• Operate a robust identification procedure and Refusals Log

• Consider sending staff on a course to obtain their own personal licence

Challenge 21 - v - Challenge 25

At the end of the day it is a matter for each individual licensee as to which scheme is appropriate for their particular premises. 

Download Challenge 21 Signage

Download Challenge 25 Signage

Download Refusals Log

Download Staff Training Log

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