Mexborough pubs face 48-hour booze ban

TWO Dearne Valley pubs have been slapped with a booze ban for persistently selling alcohol to underage children.

Doncaster Council decided to temporarily call time at the Montagu Arms (which is owned by Punch Inns plc, and the Old Market Hall, run by Wetherspoons, both in Mexborough,after a test purchasing drive saw 14 underage youngsters being illegally served.

The authority is imposing 48-hour closure notices on the two pubs, coming into effect on Satuarday and running until Monda, during which time both will be banned from selling alcohol.  

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Between last December and March 2010, police and council trading standards officers have done a number of test purchases in Mexborough town centre.  These is resulted in nine pubs being caught serving to underage children, with 14 individual illegal sales in total.

The council’s director of neighbourhoods and communities, Jane Miller, said: "The 48-hour closure notices are designed to be a quick and effective response to licensed premises that have persistently sold alcohol to underage children.

"Doncaster is the first council in South Yorkshire to use this tactic against pubs who serve to under-18s.

"We are doing this in response to the growing concerns about the effect alcohol can have on a young person's health and the strong link between alcohol and anti-social behaviour."