The Law for bars
As a bar or club owner or member of staff, you have a responsibility to look after customers and help everyone have an enjoyable night.
The law says ‘You commit an offence as an establishment or as a staff member if you serve alcohol to a person who is drunk’.
- The person who sells alcohol to someone who is drunk can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £90 by the Police.
- If it goes to court the fine could be up to £1000 on conviction.
- Premises might have their own disciplinary procedures.
- Premises could be taken to Licence Review.
Section 141 of the Licensing Act 2003
By ‘clearly drunk’ we mean those that meet one or more trigger points such as inability to support themselves standing up and inability to pronounce their words.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Unit within Liverpool City Council are supporting bars by offering full training around how to identify the signs that someone is clearly drunk and confidently refuse them service.
If you are a bar manager/owner in Liverpool City Centre and would like to receive training for your staff you can find more information by clicking here
or following the Alcohol & Tobacco Unit on Twitter
Communication materials have also been produced for bars including:
Posters for staff
Posters for public
Bar runners
Briefing / crib sheets for staff
T-Shirts for staff
Badges for staff
If you work in a bar in Liverpool city centre you should have received the above materials. However, if you would like to order more free of charge please contact:
jenny.davies@liverpool.gov.uk or call 0151 233 2880
If you are a bar manager / owner in another part of Cheshire and Merseyside please contact your local Licensing Officer