Wandsworth Council sent in two underage volunteers to attempt a purchase
A South London corner shop has lost its licence after selling alcohol to two underage volunteers who were making test purchases for the council. Wandsworth Council’s licensing team requested a review of the licence held by Stonehenge Food and Wine, in Putney, which was dealt three formal warnings.
In a new report, Wandsworth’s licensing committee said it had decided to revoke the shop’s licence, meaning it can no longer sell alcohol, after agreeing licence holder Abdul Hamid Hamidi had failed to address concerns raised by officers.
A report by Wandsworth licensing officers said the shop was slapped with a warning on April 22 after an inspection found it in breach of multiple conditions concerning CCTV, incident logs, staff training, ‘Challenge 25’ age-verification policy and the sale of high-strength single cans.
It was given another warning on June 30 after inspectors found the breaches remained unresolved. The report said the shop failed two test purchases in this time, with alcohol sold to a 16-year-old volunteer on April 17 and to another underage volunteer on June 24.
John McGann, Wandsworth’s senior licensing officer, told the council’s licensing hearing on September 3 the shop was handed a third warning after another inspection on August 25, which found major breaches of its licence remained.
Mr McGann said: “The case concerns a pattern of serious and repeated failures at Stonehenge Food and Wine to uphold the licensing objectives, most notably the prevention of crime and disorder and the protection of children from harm.
“Despite multiple inspections, formal warnings and opportunities to rectify matters, the evidence before you demonstrates continued non-compliance, two underage alcohol sales and a persistent disregard for conditions specifically imposed to safeguard the public.”
Mr McGann argued for the shop’s licence to be revoked “given the repeated underage sales, persistent licence breaches, repeated failures following intervention and the absence of meaningful improvement”.
The shop, on Lower Richmond Road, was given the licence in July 2025.
Mr Hamidi, who took over the licence in April, apologised for the second failed test purchase and said he understood his responsibilities regarding alcohol sales.
He said he had put up a ‘Challenge 25’ poster in the shop in time for the council’s third inspection.
However, a report on the committee’s decision said a “repeated lack of communication” by Mr Hamidi with officers, after warning letters and an invitation to meet, “represented either neglectful behaviour or a wilful disregard of the serious concerns relayed”.
The report added Mr Hamidi had “failed to demonstrate the expected knowledge of someone operating a licenced premises”.
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