RESIDENTS in South Croydon have called for a ban on Tesco selling cheap booze from 6am in an area where alcoholics are sent to recover.
The high street giant opened a store in Brighton Road, South End, last November despite vocal opposition from residents and traders who did not want to see the historic The Swan and Sugarloaf pub taken over.
One of the main bones of contention was the store's alcohol licence, rubber-stamped by Croydon Council, allowing alcohol to be sold from the crack of dawn.
"We made a lot of noise about this last year when the council were considering Tesco's licence," said Charlotte Davies, the head of the South Croydon Community Association.
"This area is full of hostels which look after alcoholics. We said to the council that selling alcohol so early in a area full of alcoholics would cause a problem but they didn't listen. People go to the store for cheap alcohol and sit around outside getting drunk."
The group also said there had been a major problem with the store selling its alcohol at the front of the store, which was attracting a regular group of shoplifters.
"We made several complaints about this and the store has moved some of its alcohol towards the back of the shop but there is still some at the front," said Mrs Davies.
Giorgio Raffaell, the owner of La Spezia Deli in Selsdon Road, said the problem of alcoholics drinking on the streets and pavements had become a "nonsense" and was rapidly getting worse.
"Tesco is the only place that sells alcohol at that time in the morning.
"It is not normal to drink then. It is the only place that sells it."
Mrs Davies highlighted Tesco's pledge on its website to "make a real contribution and create value for society as a whole", as well as "contributing more to tackling some of the big challenges."
"I suggest Tesco starts working on its new ethos at a local level, because quite honestly we do not see it in reality," Mrs Davies said.
In response, a spokesman from Tesco said: "As a retailer of alcohol, we take our responsibilities very seriously and work hard to ensure we always trade within the terms of our licence. We are always willing to listen to the concerns of local residents."
However, the spokesman also said that if the licence was to be changed, residents would have to approach the council.
A council spokesman said: "The council is actively working with all of the other agencies in the area to address the antisocial behaviour problems associated with street drinking.
"While we cannot force people to seek help we're developing strategies to link those with alcohol-related issues to accept the support that's on offer."
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