A village shop faces being stripped of its alcohol licence after a 15-year-old girl was found unconscious and “foaming at the mouth” – hours after she and a friend were sold vodka without any age checks.
Police are calling for action against Littlestone Store, near New Romney, following a string of serious breaches, including multiple illegal sales to children caught on CCTV.
In a statement to licensing officers, the girl’s mother described the moment she discovered her daughter – named as Child One in a council report – collapsed on a bed at a friend’s home after being picked up earlier that evening.
“At 8pm, I got a phone call from the friend’s mum saying [Child One] wasn’t in a good way and was poorly,” she said.
“I didn’t fully understand her as she was panicking, tearful, and said she was going to phone the police.
“I asked why, jumped in my car and spoke to her as I drove, telling her not to let [Child One] fall asleep. I asked, ‘What the hell has happened?’.
“I drove around there as fast as I could. I rushed up the stairs – the door was open. I went inside. [Child One] was on the bed, unconscious and foaming at the mouth.”
The youngster did not respond to her mum as she was “limp and a dead weight”, had vomited, and her eyes had rolled back in her head.
The other girl – also aged 15 – was awake but also “very drunk”.
Child One was rushed to hospital, where she was sick multiple times, and medics found her heart rate was “very up and down”.
The girl was discharged the same night, but her mother said the experience left them both shaken.
“This is the most terrified I have ever been as a parent to date, and I hope I never have to go through this again,” her mum added.
“[Child One] has been very remorseful since this, and it has frightened her a lot. She is 15 and has no place drinking strong spirits.
“All this because my 15-year-old daughter was sold a bottle of vodka when she shouldn’t have been able to do it. No ID, no questions.”
Her friend’s mother confronted the shop staff that same night.
“When I entered the shop, I questioned the man immediately and asked him if he had sold alcohol to my daughter and her friend,” said the mum of Child Two.
“I described my daughter and showed him a photo.
“He didn’t deny nor admit it, but he was acting very suspiciously.
“I also asked about cameras to prove whether he sold it to them or not.
“He was unsure if they worked or not, but not long after, he said only the manager can access the cameras.”
Footage viewed by Kent Police showed the two girls entering the shop shortly after 6pm on May 31, selecting a soft drink and pointing to the spirits behind the counter.
A staff member scanned a bottle of vodka, pressed “yes” on the age prompt, and added a second bottle – all without requesting ID.
The girls – both said by police to look young for their age – appeared visibly nervous, glancing outside and at the camera.
Later that evening, two women – including one understood to be the mother of Child Two – returned to the shop.
Describing her in the footage, police wrote: “She is visibly distressed, lashes out at the worker, and throws items over the counter.
“Although the incident was later reported to police by the customer, the store did not report the assault.”
During the confrontation, a young boy in the shop reportedly told one of the women: “Don’t worry, he sells it to my sister as well” – reinforcing fears the store has regularly supplied children.
Police and council officers visited Littlestone Store days later and found further licensing breaches, including the staff member – who said he had only worked there two months – being unable to operate the CCTV system.
Officers were also told the licence holder and designated premises supervisor was in Sri Lanka, caring for a sick relative.
Police were eventually able to review CCTV, with footage on May 23 capturing five further sales of alcohol and vapes with no ID checks in the space of under two hours.
The refusal book had entries before and after the May 23 and May 31 sales, raising questions over how the shop records and handles failed ID checks.
Kent Police said there had also been reports in December of children as young as 11 buying vapes.
It added it believes the shop is “failing to meet basic licensing conditions and may be contributing to alcohol-related harm among children”.
The owner of the shop, who gave his name as ??, told KentOnline he had been visited his ill father in Sri Lanka at the time of the breaches and had asked a friend to look after the store.
I am accepting it was our fault. I am personally sorry to my local community…
He said this friend had hired another man to work in his absence, who “wasn’t trained properly” and on the day of the sale to the underage girls was upset as his pregnant wife had miscarried.
“I have explained this to the investigating officer,” he said.
“I am accepting it was our fault. I am personally sorry to my local community.
“I can give 100% assurance that this won’t happen again.”
Folkestone and Hythe District Council’s licensing committee will now consider whether to revoke the store’s licence entirely.
A hearing will take place on August 19.
