AN off-licence owner has quit after she was convicted of selling alcohol to underage girls.

Cecilia Hart had her licence revoked by Teesside Licensing Justices for selling two bottles of wine and a strong cider to two teenagers in November last year.

Yesterday Mrs Hart, who ran the Wine Lodge, in Durham Road, Stockton, for 15 years, abandoned her appeal against the decision.

Teesside Crown Court had been due to listen to a two-day appeal against the October 15 order made by the Licensing Justices.

Abandoning the hearing, her barrister Peter Johnson said: "It comes as a matter of sadness that, having regard to the matters in the round, the application I have is for leave to abandon this appeal."

He said there was a 600-name petition from people living in the area asking Mrs Hart to stay, but that, sadly, she had decided that enough is enough.

Judge David Bryant, sitting with four magistrates, allowed the application.

When the licence was revoked Mrs Hart and her partner, Hafeez Malik, were accused of turning a blind eye to the age of some of their customers after the two under-age girls were filmed on the store's closed circuit television buying the bottles of drink.

The pair were arrested after they bought several bottles of wine, cider and White Star from Mr Malik.

The girls had told the hearing that they regularly bought alcohol in the shop - one from the age of 14.

PC Mark Hodgson, of the Stockton District Licensing Unit, said the shop had been reported on four occasions for selling alcohol to under-age youngsters and criticised the couple's licensing skills before accusing them of knowingly selling alcohol to under-age people.

He said their licensing skills were atrocious and said neither of them was suitable to hold an off-licence or on licence.

In 15 years of trading from the store, the only other incident involving either Mr Malik or Mrs Hart occurred when Mrs Hart was holidaying in the Dominican Republic.

On that occassion, Stockton Borough Council sent youngsters into licensed premises to try to buy alcohol. When the children were served, the council sent the shop a warning letter.

Mrs Hart was not available for comment yesterday.