Dunstable shop owner fined after failing to prove alcohol origins
Tuesday, 16 September 2025
We've successfully prosecuted a Dunstable shop owner after Trading Standards officers discovered alcohol on sale which the owner could not prove the origin of.
On 5 November 2024, Trading Standards officers attended Dunstable Superstore Ltd, 153 – 157 High Street North, Dunstable, LU6 1JW, after being called to the premises regarding a firework safety concern.
During the visit, officers found shelves stocked with alcohol and more stored in the stockroom. Despite repeated requests, the business owner was unable to provide any paperwork showing where some of the alcohol had come from.
At a hearing on Friday 5 September 2025 at Luton Magistrate's Court, the company director, Mr Ravinder Singh Saghal, pleaded guilty. He was ordered to pay a fine of £440, prosecution costs of £1,600, and a victim surcharge of £176, a total cost to him of £3,360.
Councillor John Baker, our Executive Member for Public Protection, said:
Alcohol of unknown origin puts consumers at risk and undermines legitimate businesses who follow the rules. This case demonstrates the importance of a properly funded trading standards and licensing enforcement team, allowing officers to act when businesses cannot prove where their stock has come from. We will not tolerate untraceable products being sold in Central Bedfordshire.