Wirral ASDA granted 24-hour drink license despite concerns

An ASDA Express on the Wirral will be able to sell alcohol 24 hours a day. The store which is based in a EuroGarages on 157 Hoylake Road in Moreton was granted a licence by Wirral Council despite concerns it would lead to “a constant flow of intoxicated people” to the area.

The licence application was up for a decision at a licensing act committee meeting on July 29. It will be open to the public and able to sell alcohol all day but between 11pm and 6pm, people won’t be able to enter the shop and will be served through a hatch except in exceptional circumstances.

Richard Taylor, a solicitor for the supermarket chain, said the petrol station had previously had a licence but this was surrendered in 2015, adding: “The application is effectively please can we have our licence back.” He suggested the reason the licence was previously handed in was due to the Muslim ownership of EuroGarages, and was not because of any issues with the licence.

He said ASDA has never faced a review with its over 1,000 stores, adding: “That is a testament to the way it runs those stores, testament to the quality of its training and procedures.” He said it had “vast experience” and “a spotless track record” as it dealt with concerns, adding: “We will never get that far because we sort things if we get a problem.” He also pointed out no one such as the police or environmental health had raised concerns and the issues raised were not “borne out by any evidence.”

However Gugulethu Masuku, a resident on a nearby road, objected to the licence. According to a council report, she had “concerns that if this application is granted there will be a constant flow of intoxicated people causing anti-social behaviour within the vicinity of the premises which is located in primarily a residential area.”

During the meeting, she said a 24 hour petrol station selling alcohol would bring in people from out of the area because “they will be the only offer at certain times” and worried about the type of customer arriving at that time, adding: “That isn’t the type of people I want near my home.”

She also sought assurances on a number of issues including the station’s Tannoy audio system being used later at night and “that noise carrying into my home” as well as the use of garage hoovers or car washes.

Councillors in coming to their decision granted the application. While they said they took into consideration the concerns raised, they said no evidence had been provided by Merseyside Police granting the application would lead to a rise in antisocial or criminal behaviour.