Booze sales ban is ‘stupid’ and ‘makes no sense’
OFF-LICENCE OWNERS DON’T BELIEVE RULE WILL WORK
OFF-LICENCES in Nottingham’s student areas do not believe a 9pm ban on alcohol sales will stop house parties.
Some think it will just mean revellers “bulk up” on supermarket booze earlier in the day.
The controversial measure, which only applies to Nottinghamshire, means shops will be prohibited from selling alcohol in Tier Three.
The sales curfew is to stop households having large gatherings when pubs close. Pubs will still close at 10pm and can only serve alcohol if they serve substantial meals.
House parties across Nottingham have been attended by police, with £10,000 fines for some students with gatherings of more than 30.
Students were not the only offenders, with a hot tub party in Retford and a birthday celebration in West Bridgford also reported.
Perry Grewal. who has run Bargain Booze Plus in Ilkeston Road for 12 years, said the announcement means he will lose £200 to £300 a day.
He said: “From 9pm to 11pm we can do more in those two hours than we can all day. It can vary from 50 to 60 people. It will affect my business 100 percent.
“That is the downfall of it. I think they should have done this earlier before the students came back.
“They left it too late. Students who have been quarantining are now coming out. We do rely on students a lot. It is a nightmare. We have staff and expenses. It is our income going out of our pockets.
“It is like it is controlling your life – and then they expect us to start up again at the click of a finger. I wish they would think about the consequences. I feel for the other businesses as well.”
Ser Yildi, manager of Park Road Off Licence. Lenton, called the new rule “stupid.”
“People don’t go out so they drink at home,” he added. “We get a lot of students in at 9pm.
“If they want to have a party they will buy alcohol before 9pm and then still have it in their home.
“If people want to party then they will find a way to do it.”
Staff at another off-licence, which did not wish to be named, said they would close at 9pm as they won’t make enough money from selling other items.
Mick Garton, who owns the six MSR Newsgroup newsagents in Nottingham, has already made the decision to close at 6.30pm.
He said: “We are closing early because it is so dead in town. We used to open until 10pm but we are now only opening until 6.30pm.
“We had already got hit on alcohol sales and there will now be less people in town when the pubs close. The rules do not make sense at all.
“I don’t understand why this is unique to Nottingham. People will just buy alcohol earlier and during the day. The only people it will stop having house parties are those on a whim but you would think that most of these parties are planned.
“There is no restriction on how much they can buy. It will hit the small independents. They will bulk up at supermarkets and drive trade away from them.”
Kate Loewenthal, chair of Lenton Drives and Neighbours Residents’ Association, said: “I can’t imagine if pubs and bars close there is going to be many students going into town to sit down and have a meal at a pub. I can’t see how it will make a difference. They will just get alcohol earlier. If the bars were open until 10pm it may have had an effect.
“I don’t know the thinking behind it. I am still hopeful that enough students will be sensible with us going into Tier Three and they will be thinking ‘let’s take it seriously’.”