A SUPERMARKET has won a battle to sell alcohol in Barrowford after councillors approved their request for a licence.

Morrisons smaller convenience store ‘M Local’ is set to open on the site of the former petrol station in Gisburn Road, Barrowford.

Traders and shoppers in the village had called on Pendle Council’s licensing committee to refuse the store an alcohol licence.

But at a meeting at Nelson Town Hall yesterday, the licence to sell alcohol from 6am until midnight every day was approved.

Gerard Threadgould, who runs the Spar shop in the village, had helped to collect a petition with over 200 signatures calling on the application to be refused.

He said: “I’m disappointed that the strength of feeling locally could not be taken into account. We will continue to do what we can to fight the opening of this store.”

Gareth Pruskin, from Bargain Booze in Gisburn Road, said: “It is a small village and there are already enough alcohol outlets within Barrowford.” While concern had been raised by the objectors that another store wasn’t needed in the town, the licensing committee were only able to make a decision on licensing grounds, rather than whether store was needed.

Claire Johnson, who represented Morrisons, said: “Morrisons has huge expertise with the sale of alcohol, and over the last four years I have been representing them there has never been a review of a licence in any of the 600 stores.

“That is testament to the policies and procedures Morrisons has in place to promote the licensing objectives.”

Coun Rosemary Carroll, who chairs the licensing committee, said: “We understand all the residents concerns and if we had any power to do anything about that we would.

“If we could take them into account we would but unfortunately with the licensing laws we can’t do that.”