The Courier
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/masonic-club-has-licence-suspended-1.85732
Masonic club has licence suspended
20 April 2013
A Dundee Masonic club has had its alcohol licence suspended for a week after being caught selling drink outwith its ?permitted hours.
The city council�s licensing board imposed the penalty on St David�s Masonic Social Club on Nethergate yesterday after receiving a tip-off that it was selling alcohol in the morning �on a daily basis�.
Board convener David Bowes said: �This is a strong warning to all licensed premises that this will not be tolerated by the board and they have got to adhere strictly to their licensing conditions.�
At yesterday�s monthly board meeting, members heard licensing officers arrived at the club at 10.35am on a Friday � 25 ?minutes before the club can legally sell alcohol. They found seven men at tables drinking beer and lager while a male and a female sitting nearby had been served a gin and tonic and a vodka and lemonade.
Council licensing standards officer Graeme Petrie said barman Thomas ?Duncan claimed it was the first time he had served out of hours.
He said: �Information was received from a source to the effect that people were consuming alcohol prior to consumption hours on a daily basis and the premises were not operating like a club, but like a traditional public house. Neither the male nor the female was on the premises at the invitation of a member or accompanied by a member.
�The bar steward admitted he had ?supplied the patrons with alcohol, but said this was the first occasion he had done so.�
The club is licensed to sell alcohol from 11am until midnight Monday to Saturday and 12.30pm until midnight on Sundays.
An inspection of the club�s cash register on March 28 revealed alcohol was being sold earlier than that.
A total of �17.65 of alcohol was sold before 11am on January 28, �36.55 on the morning of January 30 and �21.40 on ?February 1.
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Further Reading:
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