Law firm Poppleston Allen is urging operators of licensed premises to check their premises licences or risk being out of pocket and disappointing their customers for Euro 2024.
The firm wants to ensure that operators of licensed premises are aware that the recent government relaxation of licensing laws, which allows premises to sell alcohol until 1am immediately after the final and semi-finals if England and Scotland reach them, only applies if premises are licensed to sell alcohol until 11pm on those particular days.
Given that the final falls on a Sunday, thousands of premises could well miss out on a Euro 2024 sales boost, particularly those in London, where traditionally many pubs’ terminal hour for alcohol sales is earlier than 11pm.
Indeed, the standard hours for Sunday in some London boroughs are 10:30pm. And this could leave customers, as well as operators, disappointed.
If this is the case, operators of licensed premises will need to apply for a Temporary Events Notice (TEN) for an extension to sell alcohol.
“The Euro 2024 tournament is a fantastic opportunity for fans of England and Scotland to get behind their teams, and of course for the trade to enjoy a boost in sales,” said Lisa Sharkey, managing partner at Poppleston Allen.
“So, we certainly would not want a misunderstanding of licensing laws to put a major dampener on the occasion. If a licensed premises is not permitted to sell alcohol until 11pm on the affected days, they still have time to extend their hours with a Temporary Events Notice.
“So, our advice to operators is to check their premises licences to ensure they are permitted to sell alcohol until 11pm for the final and semi-finals. And if they are not, get their Temporary Events Notices issued as soon as possible.”
A standard TEN must be received by the licensing authority at least ten working days before the event. Ten working days excludes the day the notice is received and the first day of the event. If there are less than ten working days before the event, you need to issue a late Temporary Events Notice.
The latest you can issue a ‘late’ TEN is five clear working days before the event. However, if you do leave it this late and an objection is received, then the extension is automatically vetoed.
The most important thing to do is to get your solicitor to apply in plenty of time. The first semi-final is on 9th July, followed by the second the day after, with the final set for 14th July.
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