A LEADING supermarket has applied for a license to sell alcoholic in its cafe, but councillors have branded the move as “inappropriate”.

Morrisons, in Western Approaches, Eastwood, has applied to Southend Council for the licence to let people drink alcohol on its premises.

However, St Laurence ward councillors Steve Buckley, Mark Flewitt, and David McGlone, have written to the council’s licensing team, urging them not to grant the licence.

In the letter, they state it would be unsuitable to sell alcohol for three reasons, including the fact there is an established pub, The Loyal Toast, situated very close by, the cafe being visited by a by a high volume of young families, and fears of encouraging underage drinking and antisocial behaviour.

Mr Buckley added: “I understand that the Morrisons cafe is an extremely popular place for people to meet and socialise, but I think that the granting of this licence is completely inappropriate.

“It is quite a small cafe and it very well-used, but I think an alcohol license could create a number of problems in the area.

“Additionally, with a pub virtually on the doorstep of the supermarket, it feels completely unnecessary to introduce a new drinking establishment so nearby.

“Surely anybody who wants to have a drink can do so outside of the supermarket?”

Other Morrisons stores across the country have already started selling alcohol in their cafes, with a widely publicised pilot scheme taking place in West Yorkshire, where visitors could order a pint of real ale in store.

The chain announced in November 2017 that upon the success of the trial, the scheme would be rolled out across the nation in order to boost breweries close to the stores.

A spokesperson from Morrisons said: “We have applied for a licence at our Southend store.

“Our colleagues would strictly follow Challenge 25 guidelines and our aim is to always sell alcohol responsibly.”

The application was made on August 7.