Bosses of an Essex restaurant have been handed a formal warning for selling alcohol outside of their licensed hours.

Harrys and Bonnies, Thomas Road, Brentwood was found to be selling alcohol at 11pm despite its licence allowing it to sell alcoholic drinks until 10.30pm.

Police officers were passing the venue, in Brentwood, at around 11pm on Saturday March 11, when they noticed an event taking place outside.

They noted a strong smell of cannabis and observed a number of people smoking. 

After making enquiries, they confirmed the venue’s alcohol licence ended at 10.30pm and no temporary event notice was in place.

Detective Inspector Karen Miller, Operation Grip Force Coordinator, said: “This is one of many examples of our regular proactive and high-visibility patrols working to ensure people’s safety while enjoying our county’s night-time economy.

READ MORE >>>

“Work like this reinforces the importance of our frequent hotspot patrols. Our officers were able to work closely with the venue, ensuring further breaches do not occur and safely dispersing customers.

Local Policing Inspector Andrew Mullis said: “There are clear and established links between alcohol licensing, the night-time economy and crime reduction. 

“We will always take robust action when dealing with any potential breaches of licensing law, as such breaches are often to the detriment of the quality of life of the local community. 

“In this case, we were able to work closely with the premises and Brentwood Council to ensure further breaches do not occur.”

The officers engaged with staff, helping to safely clear customers from the venue.
The matter was reported to the licensing team and further enquiries confirmed no temporary event notice application had been made for the event. 

Today, licensing officers visited the venue alongside Brentwood Council’s licensing manager to discuss the breach under the Licensing Act 2003.

An action plan has been put in place to ensure the venue complies with its licensing conditions in the future.

The breach was uncovered thanks to Operation Grip, a tactic involving regular, intensive high-visibility police patrols targeted at specific areas of concern.