A CEFN Fforest off-licence owner has been fined and ordered to pay more than £3,000 after admitting selling alcohol and cigarettes to underage youngsters at his premises.

Simarjot Singh, 30, of Pencoed Avenue, Cefn Fforest was taken to court after it was discovered that alcohol and cigarettes were being sold from Cefn Fforest Stores, Bedwellty Road, Cefn Fforest, which was owned by Singh at the time the offences were committed.

The issue came to light after Caerphilly County Borough Council’s trading standards team received numerous complaints from members of the public during 2014 that children were being sold alcohol from the premises.

Despite trading standards carrying out ‘test purchase’ exercises at the premises, each occasion resulted in no sales taking place, yet intelligence continued to be received that alcohol was freely available to children from the site.

The council’s trading standards team and community safety wardens thereafter joined forces with Gwent Police to conduct a joint exercise one evening in January this year.

The exercise resulted in two groups of youths being intercepted coming from the off-licence with alcohol that they had purchased – the first group of youths were aged between 15 and 17 and had purchased wine and lager, and the second group of youths were aged 15 and 16 and had purchased cider, lager and vodka.

CCTV footage was subsequently seized from the off-licence, which clearly showed the alcohol being sold to the youths – in one case by Singh himself and in another case by one of his employees, although Singh was present and assisted in the sale.

The CCTV footage also showed one of the first group of youths being sold cigarettes.

The case against Singh was heard in his absence at Newport Magistrates' Court on August 21, where he was found guilty of two offences of selling alcohol to children and one of selling cigarettes to children.

He was fined £600 for each of the alcohol offences and £400 for selling the cigarettes, totalling £1,600.

In addition, he was ordered to pay costs of £2,138 to Caerphilly County Borough Council and a victim surcharge of £60.

Cllr Nigel George, cabinet member for community and leisure services, said: “This successful prosecution emphasises our commitment, together with that of our partners, to ensuring that age restricted items such as alcohol and cigarettes do not get into the hands of our young people.

"Thankfully, the vast majority of license holders in our county borough do take their responsibilities very seriously, however a small minority do not.

"We will continue to seek prosecutions against those individuals who break the law in this manner”.

Gwent Police nightime economy officer, PC Adam Lang, said: “It’s not acceptable to sell alcohol or cigarettes to children. It has serious health risks to the children themselves as well as knock on effects within the community.

"I’d like to remind licensees that we will respond to all information reported to us, and, with the support of Caerphilly County Borough Council we will continue these sort of operations in the future to ensure activity like this does not take place within our community.”

To report an issue to Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Trading Standards team, please call 01495 235 291 or visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk/tradingstandards