Blackpool Council grant permission for second booze delivery service to operate in the resort

Blackpool Council has agreed to give Amer Khan a licence to allow him to launch the business from his existing off-licence and store Albert’s on Albert Road.

A town hall panel heard Mr Khan already had a licence to sell alcohol from the premises daily between 8am and 8pm, and had applied to extend the licensing hours to midnight each day.

The store will close at 8pm with deliveries only until midnight.

But among the conditions is deliveries, which will be ordered online, cannot be made to people living in FY1 after the shop has shut.

This will meet the requirements of the council’s saturation area policy which controls the expansion of licensing hours in the town centre where it is judged there are already enough outlets selling alcohol.

Solicitor Malcolm Ireland, representing Mr Khan, said an online system would be set up with customers being required to upload their identification and controls programmed in to prevent sales in FY1 after 8pm. Orders for delivery would have to have a minimum value of £25 and be prepaid.

Councillors said they were concerned deliveries would be made to drunk customers, and that disputes could break out if drivers arrived at an address and then refused to serve the customer.

Coun Adrian Hutton, inset, said: “I am concerned people could ring up to say ‘I’ve run out of booze, send me down a couple of bottles’, and you’re delivering to drunk people.”

But Mr Ireland said drivers would be trained so they understood it is illegal to sell alcohol to people who are intoxicated, and they would also wear body cameras to ensure deliveries were made safely.Four objections to the licence application had been made by members of the public who were concerned about disturbance from the licencing hours being extended.

The panel heard noise would not be an issue because the store would continue to close at 8pm.

They agreed to grant the licence but imposed conditions including that after 8pm the back door only is used for deliveries, and any deliveries made to an FY1 postcode must be made before 8pm.

There is at least one other business already providing alcohol deliveries in Blackpool.

Ring a Beer has been licensed since 2012.