Earlier this evening the council’s Licensing Committee waved aside a letter of protest signed by 146 local Tilehurst residents and granted the owners an extension of their licence to sell alcohol 24 hours a day.

I spoke at the meeting and represented Tilehurst residents but despite my pleas the committee decided there was nothing wrong in opening a booze outlet in Tilehurst Village 24 hours a day.

The only concession made by the committee was to order the owners to keep the shop closed between 23:00 and 05:00 and to serve customers during these hours through a night hatch only.

The Licensing Committee was blind to the potential effects on the village, of late night rowdiness or the obvious open door to any corner shop to follow suit and open 24/7. I dread to think what the long term effects will be of one company’s desire to make a quick buck out of selling alcohol 24/7 in a residential neighbourhood.