Absurd law regarding tea sales

[willowman]

Just read in the Express (so it must be true) that a new law is in place that prevents petrol stations selling tea and coffee between 11pm and 5am without a licence. The licence costs up to �635.

Why? What on earth is the difference between selling a cup of tea at 10.55 pm and selling one at 11.05pm?

Is there a logical reason for this or is it another money making stealth tax from the Labour dictatorship?

[Grunty]

This is not a new law. It is called a Refreshment House Licence and was intended to provide some control over eating places for reasons of public order and noise in residential areas. The enormous increase in the cost shows that it is now a useful fund raising exercise and filling stations are a useful target.

[Loosehead]

Yes Grunty is correct, this is quite an old law, applies to all sorts of places, if you want to sell drinks/takeawy etc trade after 11. My brother used to run a takeaway and he applied for a late licence and was refused. He was advised to appeal because it is well known that the local authority use it as a money making excercise, essentailly extracting twice the fee and it would be granted the 2nd time. The garages are just avoiding having to get a late licence.

This has probably happenned because some jobsworth somewhere noticed a garage selling a coffee after 11 and reported it. This would have escalated to the position we now find ourselves in.

[jno]

why should a garage be free to sell coffee without a licence when a corner store has to pay for one?

[Loosehead]

No one said they should jno. I think the point of the original article was to point out that weary drivers can't get a coffee after 11 at the filling stations now because the garages are unwilling to pay �635 for a licence. Motoring organisations where saying it could lead to more drivers falling asleep. The garages themselves probably couldn't care less.

I'm not trying to start a debate here I'm just reporting the thrust of the original article.

[jno]

well, I was answering willowman's original question: yes, it is logical. Owners of corner shops shouldn't have to face opposition by garages dodging the law. Whether the whole notion of late licences is logical is another question, of course, but I've never found it impeded my life.

[Ward-Minter]

with BP, Shell and ESSO's combimed annual profits equating to probably the entire African debt, I really do not care. Besides take out coffee from these establishments is truly foul anyway.

PS Don't get me wrong I despise labour with a passion.

[Catso]

Well, this law may have been in existence for years, but it has come to the fore now because it has been revamped and lumped in with the new licencing (alcohol) laws. Any establishment selling food or drink (incl. non-alcoholic) through the night needs a licence for it. And yes, they do have to pay for it, so yes, it is another stealth tax. As the law has been revamped, the cost of licences and fines has gone up, so it's likely that it will be enforced with new vigour!

Related to this, you also need a licence to play music in public, so any late-night catering vans with the radio on will be done not having the correct licence for this, also!