SERVICE station workers have been given approval to sell alcohol 24 hours a day seven days a week.

The St Cuthbert’s Way Service Station, on Aycliffe Industrial Park, Newton Aycliffe, applied to Durham County Council to vary its premises licence.

The business is open 24-hours a day every day. It can sell late night refreshments each day from 11pm to 5am.

Under the terms of its licence the business, on St Cuthbert’s Way, was allowed to sell alcohol for off-site consumption each day between 6am and 1am.

The county council agreed to vary the service station’s licence regarding the sale of off-site alcohol sales.

At the council’s statutory licensing sub-committee meeting today (Tuesday, April 1) the authority agreed to allow alcohol sales 24-hours a day every day.

Durham Police had raised concerns that changing the licence could lead to crime and disorder problems and the force is to monitor the situation.