A CONVENIENCE store hauled before the authorities after staff sold alcohol to under 18s will not lose its licence despite a damning dossier of evidence.

The Tesco-owned One Stop shop in Imber Road, Warminster, was set to lose its licence to sell alcohol after it was called in to a West Wiltshire District Council licensing sub-committee on Tuesday to defend its actions.

At the meeting, Wiltshire County Council's trading standards department, together with Wiltshire Police, presented a picture of illegal sales to young people and violent disorders outside the store.

Tesco sent lawyer Rachel Lyne to represent its One Stop store at the meeting and the company managed to survive the meeting with its licence intact, despite the evidence against it.

The committee heard how former shop worker Paul Grant, 19, was fined £80 for selling alcohol to a 17-year-old girl in December last year just two hours after being warned by police not to do so.

One Stop allowed him to keep his job but he left in March of his own accord.

In February another shop worker Joanne Chadwick sold alcohol to a 16-year-old girl whilst being observed by a trading standards officer. She opted not to return to work after the incident.

One Stop shift supervisor Sue Skinner, from Warminster, who remains in her job, oversaw them both.

Trading standards officer Yvonne Bennett called for the shop's licence to be revoked but after One Stop came forward with a set of conditions to be attached to the licence, the committee decided to allow the store to continue to trade.

The conditions include ensuring only shift managers sell alcohol. More staff will be on duty on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, during the perceived trouble periods. The shop agreed to keep records of anti-social behaviour taking place in the store and immediate surroundings and share the findings with local police as well as CCTV evidence when needed.

In defence of One Stop Ms Lyne said: "One Stop holds its hands up. There were issues at this store that were not solved quickly enough. This is all down to supervision and we believe the conditions will address the concerns."

Ms Bennett, from trading standards said: "There are problems similar to this one going on across the country but we do not instigate reviews like this without just cause. This One Stop store is an example of one of the more serious offenders in Wiltshire."

The committee, chaired by Cllr Brian Mudge, decided to attach the conditions to the store licence and ban it from selling alcohol for two weeks.

The ban will not kick in until One Stop, and its parent company Tesco, decides whether to appeal the decision.