More mandatory alcohol sale conditions go live

Published: 01 October, 2010

Pubs, restaurants and other retailers must offer customers drinks in smaller sizes and ensure they have an age verification policy in place from today.

The second stage of the controversial mandatory code for alcohol retailing takes effect today, despite rumours that it could be axed in a number of months.

The consultation on 'Rebalancing the Licensing Act', which closed in September, asked respondents whether they thought the code should be scrapped. It has been suggested that the coalition government would have to repeal the act, given its 'one-in, one-out' promise on new legislation. The consultation proposed new legislation on banning below-cost sales and asking venues to pay a late-night levy.

Venues must ensure that they have a policy on age verification, and that staff know about it, which requires customers who appear under 18 to produce photographic ID which is stamped with a holograph. Such a policy would operate in addtions to best practice ones like Challenge 21. It will only apply to face to face sales.

Bar and restaurant staff must ensure that beer or cider is available in a half-pint; gin, whisky, rum and vodka are available in 25 or 35ml measure, and still wine (but not sparkling) in 125ml measures. Customers must also be made aware that these measures are available on menus or price lists.

Bars are not required to purchase smaller glasses, but can use a 125ml measure.

Licensing expert Peter Coulson pointed out that licensees should take extra care over checking ID, as licence-holders "could face prosecution for accepting an ID from a 20-year-old which does not have a holograph on it". He also said it was "absolutely vital" to log any refusals.

Printer friendly version