A struggling business has been the latest in Mitcham to be refused permission to sell booze.

Ambaal Stores in Streatham Road wanted to sell alcohol until 2am during the festive period.

The convenience store already has permission to serve alcohol until 11pm and the extension would have been in place from Friday, December 28, until January 2.

But police licensing officer Russ Stevens objected to the plans in what is known as the ‘cumulative impact zone’.

At Merton Council’s licensing sub-committee on Monday he said: “We feel quite strongly about this, the application is in a cumulative impact zone.

“It is in Streatham Road just up from Figges Marsh where we have had problems with antisocial behaviour and crime mainly from street drinkers in the area.

“The applicant is asking to temporarily extend their hours from 11pm finish to 2am.

“The shop backs on to a number of residential streets where local residents complain on a regular basis of anti-social behaviour due to street drinkers and people who are hanging in that area by the off-licence shops.

“Just as recently as last night we had a quite serious robbery in Figges Marsh.”

PC Stevens added that this was one of the 15 alcohol-related crimes in the area over the past 12 months.

Back in July, Mitcham MP Siobhain McDonagh organised a public meeting on the subject of antisocial behaviour in Mitcham town centre.

The packed meeting saw fed up residents telling police they want to see something done about the problem.

PC Stevens told the licensing meeting about this, adding: “I feel I would be personally letting down the local residents if I was to not object. I think it is totally unacceptable that local residents should be expected to endure sales of alcohol to increase to 2am.

“I think residents in that area would suffer it was allowed to open after 11pm at night.”

But a representative of the applicant Vaseekaran Sathyaseelan said the change would only be temporary and there had been no crimes in relation to the premises.

He said: “This is a very small business, we are barely surviving, the owner is opening another store to support his family.

“A few yards away there is another off licence open until midnight and another in London Road open until 2am.”

He added the applicant was willing to put forward an offer of extending opening times in the festive period to just one hour.

But PC Stevens said he did not think this would address his concerns.

He added: “These are not homeless people – there seems to be a culture to hang about in big group and drink  – traditional pubs don’t seem to do so well.”

The panel decided to refuse the application for any extended opening hours at Ambaal Stores.

Giving the decision, Cllr David Simpson said: “We had direct evidence from police of problem street drinking in the area around these premises and in the area nearby we are also aware there is a cumulative impact p in this area this area applying to Streatham Road.”