A WINCHMORE Hill shop owner gave up his alcohol licence minutes before the council could review it after the store failed a test and sold alcohol to children.

Mohammed Salim, owner of Costcutter, in The Green, breached his licence conditions 60 times in just over a year.

On June 6, he surrendered his licence only minutes before it was to be reviewed by Enfield Council.

The review into the shop's failure to comply was put together by Enfield Council's trading standards team and supported by the police and a resident.

Enfield police reported 60 breaches of licence conditions on 10 occasions. Sale of alcohol to children was one of the 12 conditions the shop failed to maintain, out of 19.

Earlier this year, a 15-year-old was sold alcohol at the shop as part of a trading standards test.

Councillor Terry Neville, cabinet member for environment, said: “Ensuring traders do not to sell alcohol and knives to youngsters is a crucial tool in the council’s fight to keep the borough among the safest in London.

“We will not hesitate to use our licensing powers to take vigorous, robust action against the minority of irresponsible businesses who put their profits before our people.”