A SHOPKEEPER has been banned from selling alcohol after being caught selling booze to underage children.

Magistrates in Preston took the extreme and rare measure of revoking Malesh Nayli's licence to sell intoxicating liquor from the Frenchwood Shopper, James Street, Preston.

The licence was revoked, on Tuesday, June 21, on the grounds that he was not fit and proper to hold the licence after being convicted in April of two counts of selling alcohol to children.

PC Debbie Last, of Preston police's licensing department, said it is only the second time in ten years that a premises of this sort has had its licence revoked.

She added: "Applying to the magistrates to have his licence revoked is not something we did lightly. We need to send out the message that this will not be tolerated, high levels of juvenile nuisance are related to underage alcohol consumption."

On August 7, 2004, police and Trading Standards officers told Mr Nayli he had failed a test purchase after he sold alcopops to a 15-year-old girl. Three weeks later he was caught again after selling alcopops to a 14-year-old girl.

The incidents happened a month after Mr Nayli received a hand-delivered letter from police informing him that test purchases would be taking place as part of the joint initiative to crackdown on selling alcohol to underage children.

In April, 2005 he was convicted for these offences and ordered to pay a £500 fine by city magistrates.

"We will be conducting alcohol test purchasing exercises through out the summer as part of our Operation Summer Nights campaign, hopefully we will not have to do this again," added PC Last.

Mr Nayli said it was an error of judgement and a case of not having been vigilant enough. He added: "They looked a lot older and came in on busy Saturdays. It was a split second decision and we were trying to clear the queue."

Although he said he will not be appealing the decision, the shopkeeper said he would try to get his licence back in the future.

He said the store has been established for eight years and also sells general groceries.