Ramsbottom takeaway has licence revoked

Date published: 12 March 2010

A Ramsbottom takeway has had its licence revoked after staff were repeatedly seen selling food from the back of the shop when it should have been closed.

At a licensing hearing last week, Mohammed Ghani - owner of Zaidy’s takeaway on Bolton Street, Ramsbottom - was ordered to close the doors of his premises at 11pm after police and licensing officers witnessed customers buying hot food from the shop after midnight.

The conditions of Mr Ghani’s licence only permitted the selling of hot food from the takeaway until midnight from Monday to Saturday and 11.30pm on Sundays.

In February 2008, Mr Ghani received a formal caution from Bury Council following complaints from local residents that the takeaway was regularly open after hours and selling hot food via a rear door, resulting in anti-social behaviour from customers.

On 2 December 2009, Mr Ghani pleaded guilty to two offences of breaching the conditions of his licence by providing late night refreshment contrary to the terms of his premises licence.

However, police saw the premises full of customers being served hot food at 12.20am on 25 December last year.

Mr Ghani has 21 days to appeal against the decision. No special licence is required to sell hot food until 11pm.

PC Kevin Day of the Ramsbottom Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “The takeaway was causing problems because people were being attracted back into Ramsbottom in the early hours to buy food instead of going home after a night out in Bury or Manchester.

“These people were then hanging around the town centre making a nuisance of themselves to residents and police by engaging in anti-social behaviour and fighting with each other. They were also leaving a lot of litter.

“Licensing laws are no different to any other laws and they are not to be ignored. I would also like to assure residents that we will deal with any other premises blatantly flouting the law in the same way.”