AN OFF licence in Weymouth was banned from selling alcohol for seven days after staff were twice caught selling booze to underage test purchasers.

Members of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s licensing sub committee heard Chalbury Wine Store in Littlemoor Road sold cider to a 14-year-old girl in a test purchase conducted in May.

Committee members heard the same girl had been refused alcohol at 11 other off licences that day and that this was the second time Chalbury Wine Store had sold alcohol to an underage person.

The council had already imposed the operation of a Challenge 21 policy and other conditions on the store last October after the first instance in which it was found to have sold alcohol to underage customers.

Karen O’Donnell of Dorset Police told committee members at the latest meeting that the area already suffered from youth problems.

She added: “It is of grave concern to us that in such a short space of time two volunteers were able to buy alcohol from premises in which the primary business is to sell it.”

She added that Mark Jones, the member of staff caught selling the alcohol, had already paid a fixed penalty of £80 for the offence.

Dick Hudson, representing Chalbury Wine Store’s owner Luke Mansell, told councillors that the store had since begun operating a Challenge 25 policy.

He added: “This was an error in judgement on this occasion and not systemic errors in the running of the store.”

Addressing councillors directly, Mr Mansell added that he was ‘disgusted’ by what had happened at the store, which he has run for five years.

He said: “On occasions like this you tend to think: ‘I’ve done everything that was required of me last time – what more can I do?’ ”

Mr Mansell is to retrain himself and ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities as well as operating the store’s new Challenge 25 policy.