COUNCILLORS will tomorrow decide on the future of a Southbourne shop after police said they had "absolutely no confidence" in its management.

In September, Dorset Police requested a review of of the licence of More the Merrier in Kimberley Road, claiming that its licence holder Muzaffer Oksuz had repeatedly breached a condition banning him from selling alcohol on the premises.

"We can evidence that the premises licence holder Mustaffer Oksuz has consistently sold alcohol at the premises since 2008," the force said.

Furthermore, the force claims that Mr Oksuz had tampered with the labels of Tesco and Asda branded products sold at the shop – a practice described in itself as "unusual" – in a suspicious manner, and could provide no receipt for the items.

"While we were on the premises, it was visited by an unusually high number of youngsters who appeared put out by the presence of police and proceeded to 'kill time' by hanging around the vegetable and grocery aisle before leaving, having not made any purchases," the force said in its review request.

"Given that this premises is, by Mr Oksuz' own admission, an alcohol-led business, it is not appropriate that youngsters are being encouraged to frequent this premises."

Since the review request a new condition has reportedly been agreed between the police and the shop's management. This would require that a 'personal licence holder' be on the premises any time alcohol was sold.

According to correspondence submitted to BCP Council, Mr Oksuz' wife is the only personal licence holder currently working at the store, but three new such holders are being added to the staff.

The council's licensing sub-committee will consider the evidence and make a final decision on Tuesday, after a scheduled earlier hearing last month was adjourned.

Councillors may decide to append the agreed condition and take no further action, but could otherwise choose to bar the store from selling alcohol temporarily via a licence suspension, or permanently via revocation.

The licence for the premises was previously revoked in 2007, albeit restored on appeal. That year, Mr Oksuz was fined in court after admitting selling alcohol to minors.