Jay Food and Wine Denied Late Licence in Dagenham 2026

Key Points

• Licensing Bid Denied: The Barking and Dagenham Council’s licensing sub-committee has officially rejected an application by Dagenham off-licence Jay Food and Wine to extend its alcohol sales until midnight daily.
• Severe Operating Violations: Metropolitan Police and local licensing authorities presented evidence demonstrating that the shop on Broad Street was already operating past its permitted hours.
• Illicit Tobacco Sales and Underage Vaping: Trading Standards officers reported a history of illicit tobacco sales at the store and documented a test purchase where a vape was sold directly to a 14-year-old child.
• Strict Conditions Imposed: Rather than expanding the shop’s hours, the committee varied the licence to enforce restrictive measures, including banning single cans or bottle sales of high-strength alcohol.
• Additional £40,000 Civil Penalty: Government records revealed the business was concurrently hit with a substantial £40,000 fine from Home Office Immigration Enforcement for illegal working violations.

Dagenham (East London Times) July 15, 2026 – An off-licence in Dagenham has seen its bid to extend alcohol sales until midnight flatly refused by local authorities. Instead of gaining the extra hours, the business has been hit with highly restrictive conditions after a joint multi-agency investigation exposed a series of severe licensing breaches.

Jay Food and Wine, located at 123A Broad Street, Dagenham, applied to Barking and Dagenham Council to modify its current premises licence to sell alcohol from Monday to Sunday until midnight, whilst keeping the premises open to the public until 1:00 am.

However, representations from the Metropolitan Police Service, Council Licensing Officers, and Trading Standards successfully argued that the store’s current management is unfit for extended late-night responsibilities.

They presented evidence of the shop operating past its legal hours, selling illicit tobacco, failing to maintain active closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and selling a vape to an underage minor.

What Were the Specific Allegations Raised by the Metropolitan Police?

As reported by Local Democracy Reporter Nick Clark of the Romford Recorder, Metropolitan Police officers raised serious concerns regarding the off-licence’s disregard for its designated opening hours.

PC Owen Dunn of the Metropolitan Police Service detailed an incident occurring on 2 June 2026. During a plain-clothes operation, an undercover officer visited Jay Food and Wine at 1:00 am—long past its legally permitted hours—and was asked by staff if they wished to purchase vodka.

According to PC Dunn, the worker on-site claimed to have no knowledge of the licensing hours, was completely unable to produce a physical copy of the shop’s premises licence, and could not access the CCTV system. PC Dunn stated:

“Police suspect that staying open beyond permitted hours to sell alcohol is a financial greed decision, therefore potentially putting vulnerable people at risk in relation to the sale of alcohol.”

The Metropolitan Police argued that the applicant’s attempt to paint these operational failures as simple “lapses in compliance” showed a fundamental failure to understand and uphold the core licensing objectives.

Why Did Trading Standards and Licensing Officers Object to the Extension?

As documented in the official Barking and Dagenham Council Licensing Sub-Committee records, municipal licensing and Trading Standards departments strongly opposed the extension. Licensing officers labelled the breaches “extremely serious” and formally accused the store’s owners of

“poor management, inadequate control measures and insufficient staff supervision and training.”

Furthermore, Nazir Ali, the Service Manager for Trading Standards, presented critical evidence concerning the sale of restricted and illicit goods at the premises.

The sub-committee heard that the business had been caught selling illicit tobacco on more than one occasion over the past year.

Additionally, Trading Standards coordinated a test purchase operation at the site where staff sold a vaping product to a 14-year-old child, demonstrating an active danger to minor safety and a failure to enforce robust age-verification procedures.

Council licensing officers added that the store’s CCTV system had remained non-operational for a prolonged period, with repairs only being completed after direct local government intervention.

How Did the Licence Holder Respond to the Accusations?

At the sub-committee meeting held on Thursday 2 July 2026, the licence holder, Alagathurai Vijeyakanthan, presented his case directly to local councillors.

Mr Vijeyakanthan acknowledged that there had been operational issues at the Broad Street shop but sought to explain them through personal and external challenges. He attributed the licensing infractions to a period of personal illness and the mistakes of newly hired, inexperienced staff members.

He assured the committee that the CCTV system had since been fully repaired and was now completely operational, pledging that management would take future compliance more seriously.

What Were the Final Decisions and New Conditions Imposed by the Council?

Despite Mr Vijeyakanthan’s explanations, the Barking and Dagenham Council licensing sub-committee resolved that an extension of hours could not be safely granted. They officially refused the request to extend alcohol sales to midnight and to keep the store open until 1:00 am.

Instead, the committee moved to vary the existing licence by imposing severe new operating conditions designed to curb anti-social behaviour and ensure strict legal compliance. The newly mandated conditions include:

• A complete ban on the sale of single cans and bottles of beer, lager, or cider to discourage immediate public consumption.
• A strict requirement that all alcohol products be sourced exclusively from HMRC-approved wholesalers.
• Mandatory, documented licensing training for all members of staff.

To ensure these rules are met, the committee strongly recommended that the store employ a professional third-party training provider, noting lingering concerns regarding the licence holder’s own grasp of statutory licensing objectives.

Under current standard hours, Jay Food and Wine remains permitted to sell alcohol only until 11:00 pm from Monday to Saturday, and until 10:30 pm on Sundays, Good Friday, and Christmas Day.

Background of the Particular Development

To fully understand the context of the regulatory crackdown on Jay Food and Wine, it must be viewed alongside wider enforcement actions affecting the business.

In addition to local licensing struggles, government records published by Immigration Enforcement reveal that the business was recently subject to severe financial penalties for immigration violations.

As reported by local media outlets covering East London business compliance, Alagathurai Vijeyakanthan, trading as Jay Food and Wine at 123A Broad Street, was issued a civil penalty of £40,000 for employing illegal workers.

The fine was part of a major Home Office enforcement push targeting employers who fail to carry out necessary “right-to-work” checks, illustrating a broader pattern of administrative and regulatory oversights at the premises.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect the Local Community and Business Owners

This regulatory decision will have immediate, tangible consequences for three distinct groups in Dagenham: local residents, neighbouring business owners, and regional licence holders.

For residents living near Broad Street, the refusal of the late-night licence is highly likely to prevent an increase in late-night anti-social behaviour.

Had the licence been extended to 1:00 am, the area would likely have seen increased foot traffic from individuals seeking alcohol after nearby venues closed.

The ban on single-can and single-bottle sales is specifically expected to reduce street drinking and littering in public parks and residential walkways, improving the overall quietude and safety of the neighbourhood.

For independent retailers across Barking and Dagenham, this case serves as a stark warning. The joint action between the Met Police, Trading Standards, and Council licensing departments indicates a low tolerance for operational “lapses.”

Business owners can predict that any attempt to seek extended hours will trigger an exhaustive audit of their historical compliance. Those with outstanding issues, such as faulty CCTV or poor staff training, may find that applying for an extension results in the restriction of their existing privileges rather than an expansion.