Lanark’s First For Convenience under-age drink rap

The 16-year-old served a bottle of wine at First for Convenience in Bannatyne Street was, in fact, a police ‘decoy’, carrying out a test purchase to challenge the staff’s alertness to under-age drinks sales.

It was a test the shop failed, landing it it in front of Friday’s meeting of the Clydesdale Area Licensing Board.

The Board heard a police recommendation that the store should be given a written warning.

A police representative at the meeting outlined the circumstances, saying that its ‘decoy’ entered the shop shortly before midday on April 27 last year and was sold a bottle of Chardonnay wine; no attempt was made to check his age or identity.

The sales assistant was the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal.

To be fair, the police officer added, the store underwent another, similar check the following month and this time the decoy was refused service.