Peers in the House of Lords have dismissed an amendment prohibiting the sale of alcohol in forecourts as part of the Committee stage of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.
An amendment, tabled by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, contained a clause which would have prohibited the sale of alcohol from forecourt convenience stores.
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) contacted her and other peers and set out the case against her proposal. In the Lords’ debate the Baroness withdrew her proposal saying there was "no evidence of a direct link between alcohol bought on the premises and drink-driving" and that the sale of alcohol "sometimes makes [forecourts] viable".
Criticising the amendment, Lord Clement-Jones said: "I certainly sympathise with bodies like the ACS, which says that there is no evidence that licensed forecourts are less responsible than any other type of premises.
"They say also that changes in the market mean that it is vital that a store has alcohol as part of its convenience offer."
ACS chief executive James Lowman added: "It is heartening when parliamentarians are open minded and listen to the arguments presented. Modern forecourts provide a range of services to the community. This includes the responsible sale of alcohol products."
For more information about licensing law, see page 26.
CS is continuing its work with Government throughout the passage of the Bill to ensure that the interests of forecou
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