Off-licence is warned over stolen booze

Family-run Granton Food & Wines was found to be selling bottles of vodka that had been among 900 worth of alcohol stolen from the Asda supermarket at Sandpiper Drive last year.

A director of the West Granton Road store had admitted to buying the stock for around 10 a bottle from an individual who visited the shop and claimed he was selling the bottles cheap because the labels were damaged.

Since the incident, he has stepped down from his role as director and is no longer in the position to buy stock or sign off cheques.

At a meeting of the city's licensing board, it was confirmed that there have not been previous problems with the shop, which has been run by the same family for 27 years.

Inspector Gordon Hunter, from Lothian and Borders Police's licensing department, said: "Given the serious nature of the offence we thought it was important to bring it to the board."

Licensing leader Marjorie Thomas said: "We do take these things very seriously."