Advice for retailers during Alcohol Awareness Week

 

Cheshire East Council’s Consumer Protection and Investigations team (formally Trading Standards) are doing their bit during Alcohol Awareness Week (October 18 – 24).

This year’s campaign by Alcohol Concern is now underway; and focuses on the impact that alcohol has on children.

Officers from Consumer Protection and Investigations are helping to boost awareness by way of an ‘Underage sales, retailer training’ day.

Those interested in attending a training course can find out more by contacting Hannah Wong on 01270 686695 or by email at hannah.wong@cheshireeast.co.uk

The half-day programme has been designed to educate the owners of licensed premises and their staff on all aspects of age-restricted products. This will include:

• Advice on how best to utilise an age verification policy such as ‘Challenge 25’;
• How to identify acceptable ID and recognise fakes; and 
• Conflict resolution training.

Officers from Consumer Protection and Investigations will also work with local police during the week, visiting licensed premises to make sure they are not selling products to those who are underage.

Cheshire East Councillor Rachel Bailey, Cabinet member with responsibility for safer and stronger communities, said: “This is about giving people, who own and run licensed premises, the confidence to say ‘no’ to those who are underage and do not have appropriate ID. We want to empower retailers and give them every opportunity to understand the law fully and hopefully, comply with it.”

Cheshire East Councillor Andrew Knowles, Cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Alcohol Awareness Week can go a long way to highlighting the impact alcohol misuse can have on all of us. This isn’t about being – it is about understanding how alcohol can have a profound effect on children, shaping the way they perceive alcohol in the future.”

Kay Roberts, Consumer Protection and Investigations manager, added: “It is particularly important to give smaller retailers the support to tackle underage sales. This training course is aimed at all levels of staff and will help them all comply with age restrictive legislation.”