An off-licence and newsagents has been banned from selling alcohol for three months after it was caught trading out of hours and selling booze to problem drinkers.

Baxters News, Hythe Street, Dartford, has been told it cannot sell beer, wine and spirits until April 5.

It follows a licensing sub-committee review held at Dartford council's offices which found it had been regularly trading outside of its permitted hours.

The town centre offy was also disciplined for selling alcohol to problem drinkers and has now had several conditions imposed on its licence.

These include making sure the front windows are clear enough to see through, a CCTV upgrade and carrying out staff training.

All conditions must now be met within three months before it can begin selling alcohol again.

Trading hours for selling booze have also been reduced to 10pm once the suspension ends.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) said the authority would be taking action wherever individuals fail to live up to with their social and legal responsibilities.

“Most of the licence holders across the borough comply with licensing laws," he said.

Those which didn't, he continued, could expect to face action which "hits their pocket, their reputation and ultimately can jeopardise their business".

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