The Licensing Sub-Committee of Ealing Council met on Wednesday 24 June 2026 to review the premises licence for Sethi Food & Wine. The committee decided to modify the licence conditions to address the discovery of illicit tobacco products.

Review of Sethi Food & Wine

The Licensing Sub-Committee considered an application to review the premises licence for Sethi Food & Wine, located at 41 Featherstone Road, Southall, UB2 5AB. The review was initiated by Ealing Council's Licensing Enforcement and Compliance Team following a detection dog operation on 10 March 2026. During this operation, officers discovered 3,240 illicit cigarettes and 1.13 kg of Indian tobacco in the premises' storeroom.

The Sub-Committee determined that the discovery of these illicit products was a serious matter that directly undermined the licensing objective of preventing crime and disorder. While the premises had no prior history of non-compliance, and the licence holder understood the concerns raised, the existing licence conditions were found to be insufficient to address the specific risk of illicit tobacco.

To promote the licensing objectives, particularly the prevention of crime and disorder, the Sub-Committee decided to modify the licence conditions. These modifications include strengthening existing conditions and adding new targeted controls. The new conditions require that no illicit, counterfeit, non-duty-paid, non-compliant, or unlawfully imported alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, nicotine products, or other age-restricted goods be purchased, stocked, stored, offered for sale, sold, or supplied at the premises.

Furthermore, all such products must be purchased only from legitimate UK-registered suppliers, and invoices and delivery notes must be retained for a minimum of 12 months. These documents must detail the supplier's name and address, invoice/delivery note date and number, description of goods, and quantities supplied. They must be made available to responsible authorities within 24 hours of request. A supplier verification register must also be maintained, recording details of all suppliers used.

Additionally, a written or electronic stock control record for all tobacco, cigarettes, and nicotine products must be kept, including supplier details, invoice/delivery note reference, date of delivery, quantity received, quantity held, and date of stock check. These records must also be retained for at least 12 months and made available for inspection.

The Designated Premises Supervisor and all staff are required to undertake refresher training on licensing compliance, tobacco legislation, illicit goods, age-restricted sales, and due diligence procedures within three months of the decision. Staff involved in the sale of age-restricted goods must receive documented training before being permitted to make such sales.

The Sub-Committee noted that the Premises Licence Holder's initial response, stating he thought [he] could sell them, indicated a lack of understanding of the seriousness of illicit products. However, they also acknowledged that the applicant demonstrated an understanding of the licensing objectives when questioned. The Sub-Committee concluded that the modified conditions were appropriate and proportionate, directly connected to the evidence presented, and designed to ensure traceability of products to legitimate suppliers, facilitate inspections, and reduce the risk of illicit products being held or sold.

The decision was made in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003 and Ealing's Statement of Licensing Policy. The applicant, licence holder, or any person who made relevant representations has the right to appeal the decision to the Ealing Magistrates' Court within 21 days.

The meeting was attended by Cornelia Harding, Robert Dear, Merkesha Grant, Councillor Shaira Karimi, Councillor Jon Ball, Sean O'Brien, Kiran Seyan, Anjali Garcha, Hatoon Zeb, Zayna Ahmed, and Councillor Anthony Kelly, who chaired the meeting.

The full decision document can be found at Decisions Wednesday 24-Jun-2026 10.00 Licensing Sub-Committee.pdf. The public reports pack is available at Public reports pack Wednesday 24-Jun-2026 10.00 Licensing Sub-Committee.pdf, and the agenda was published in the Agenda frontsheet Wednesday 24-Jun-2026 10.00 Licensing Sub-Committee.pdf.