A bag of chips 'mistake' almost cost man his entire business

Famous 8 on Byrom Street
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


A 'mistake' made by a takeaway boss almost cost him his Liverpool takeaway business after he was accused of ignoring the law. After purchasing Famous 8 on Byrom Street in January 2022, Said Saeed opened the hot food shop nightly to serve students and clubbers until 3am.

However, Mr Saeed was doing so without the proper licence being issued by Liverpool Council, placing him in hot water with Merseyside Police. This prompted a visit from officers in October last year to ask the business owner why despite only being permitted to sell food until 11pm, he was still trading beyond 1am.

The takeaway boss, who appeared before the city council’s licensing and gambling sub-committee today (Friday), claimed this had been a “mistake” and he had given away a bag of chips for free. Sgt Craig Carmichael from the force’s licensing unit told the panel how a receipt was found for the sale of the food moments later.

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Despite intense cross-examination from councillors, the business will be permitted to open later, subject to conditions. Mr Saeed told members how despite trading for two years until 3am he realised in October last year having visited another business he did not have the requisite late night licence to open into the small hours, thinking this was solely for alcohol.

He said: “I should close the shop at 11pm, I made a mistake.” This was given short shrift by chair Cllr Christine Banks, who replied: “You’re a businessman and a businessman would look into that.”

Cllr Malcolm Kelly also gave a dim view of Mr Saeed’s reasoning. He said: “It’s not a mistake, you knew you shouldn’t have opened. It’s a choice.”

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Sgt Carmichael said when officers visited the shop, Mr Saeed had claimed he stopped serving at midnight - still in breach of his licence. Asked why he said this when he had continued offering food for at least another hour, he said: “I was scared the police would shut the shop.”

He also claimed to have been mixed up with the changes to the clocks under daylight savings time. Protestations fell on deaf ears however, as Cllr Banks said: “If he’d had listened and done what he was supposed to have done to get a licence, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Mr Saeed said he would be forced to sell the business if his application to open until 3am was not successful, describing the hearing as his “last hope.” This was despite not having the relevant planning permission to do so anyway.

Cllr Banks confirmed Famous 8 would be able to trade into the late night hours but insisted on conditions being imposed including the installation of CCTV cameras and the necessary planning permission.