TWO borough off-licences were fined after being caught selling alcohol to under-age children, following an operation by Hillingdon Council. 

The assistants who sold the alcohol at each store were also fined, after being witnessed by plain-clothes officers from the council’s trading standards team, a court heard. 

Vipulbhai Patel, licence holder of Shree News in Salisbury Road, Eastcote, admitted selling alcohol to a minor, while sales assistant Umesh Patel was found guilty in his absence of the same charge, at a hearing at Uxbridge Magistrates Court. 

Vipulbhai was ordered to pay a fine of £293, victim surcharge of £117 and prosecution costs of £416.25.

Umesh was ordered to pay a fine of £440, surcharge of £176 and prosecution costs of £416.25. 

In a separate hearing at the same court, the licence holder and a sales assistant at Hillingdon News & Booze, Ryefield Avenue, were both fined for the same offence. 

Sadruddin Rupani and shop assistant Phillip Clarke had each admitted the charge in a plea by post. Rupani was ordered to pay a fine of £293, victim surcharge of £34 and prosecution costs of £446.

Clarke was ordered to pay a fine of £293, surcharge of £34 and prosecution costs of £446. 

In both hearings the court was told the council conducted test purchases using a 16-year-old shopper.

In each case, a bottle of alcoholic drink was sold without the teenager being asked for identification or challenged over their age. 

Cllr Eddie Lavery, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said: “Licence holders in our borough, and those under their charge, will always be expected to uphold the law and work to expected requirements.

“It’s disappointing that these stores have fallen below the level we’d like.”