Irresponsible drinks promotions banned
Wednesday 07 April 2010
New mandatory licensing conditions came into force on 6 April 2010 which ban irresponsible drinks promotions.
The new conditions:
- ban irresponsible promotions such as "all you can drink for £10" offers
- ban the dispensing of alcohol directly into the mouth - such as "dentist chairs"
- ensure that free tap water is available to customers.
From 1 October 2010, a further two conditions will be introduced:
- all licensed premises will require an age verification policy to be in place to prevent underage sales
- all premises will need to ensure that customers have the opportunity to choose small measures of beers, ciders, spirits and wine.
'Selling alcohol responsibly: the new mandatory licensing conditions' published by the Home Office sets out exactly what the new conditions cover and includes answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from retailers.
Additional guidance on the mandatory conditions has also been published by the Home Office. This provides an overview of a number of local and national initiatives which are already in place aimed at driving up standards in alcohol retailing. Download 'Selling alcohol responsibly: good practice examples from the alcohol retail and hospitality industries'.
These documents also support the Department of Culture Media and Sport's revised section 182 guidance which is available to download from the DCMS website.