COUNCIL bosses have fired a warning shot across the bows of licensing premises in Burnley and Padiham after a store had its licence suspended for a month.

Councillors sitting on the borough's licensing committee imposed the sanction on the Gourmet and Goblet, in Padiham Road, after receiving complaints about under-age drinkers being served alcohol there.

Police carried out undercover operations at the Gannow off licence in October and January, after receiving reports that children were illegally buying booze there.

Each time staff, including the designated premises supervisor Bhag Singh, handed over alcohol to youngsters without asking for proof of their age. This prompted police licensing officials to ask Burnley Council to review the Gourmet and Goblet's premises licence.

But the shop's owners claimed they had encountered a number of problems with under-age drinkers and had not received adequate support from local police.

Bosses had called for cameras to be installed outside the premises in a bid to curb anti-social behaviour along the Padiham Road parade.

Police have faced a number of difficulties with young problem drinkers in Gannow and Ightenhill and imposed a dispersal order on the Ightenhill Park area last October.

Councillors were faced with a number of different options in dealing with the shop's misde-meanours - ranging from issuing an official warning to closing down the store completely. A Burnley council spokesman said: "The licence for this premises has been suspended for four weeks, which will start 21 days after the notice of determination has been served there.

"Also, more stringent regu-lations have been applied to their current conditions of licence, in accordance with maintaining the licensing objections of Burnley Council.

"Firstly the licence holder (Mr Singh) must be on the premises in the evenings.

More staff training and records to be kept for inspection."

The council says that refusal registers must be maintained and that a register of incidents should be kept by staff there.

Support and advice will also be given about proof of age schemes - such as the Challenge 21 initiative -- and CCTV must be maintained and operated at all times.