PLANS to create Worcester’s first off-licence open 24 hours a day, seven days a week have been dropped after police said crime could rise as a result.

The company which runs the 24-hour Texaco garage in Malvern Road, Lower Wick, agreed to scale back plans to sell alcohol around the clock from the forecourt store after West Mercia police objected.

The garage was instead this week granted a licence to sell alcohol from 5am until 11pm daily by Worcester City Council’s licensing sub-committee.

So far, only two 24-hour alcohol licences have been issued in Worcester, to the Tesco superstores in Warndon and St Peter’s – but weekend trading laws currently prevent supermarkets from opening around the clock on Sundays.

Objecting to the application by Malthurst Ltd, local police licensing officer Peter Hughes wrote: “The chief constable has serious reservations as to the hours applied for – it is intended to supply alcohol throughout a 24-hour period.

“The fact that alcohol will be available beyond the hours of many other retail outlets in the city of Worcester will increase the opportunity for crime to occur.”

As evidence, Mr Hughes pointed to the number of crimes recorded between 11pm and 6am at Malthurst Lower Wick this year – zero – compared with the 21 crimes recorded in 2008 recorded at an unnamed service station in the West Mercia area which sells alcohol around the clock.

The police requested the Lower Wick garage put a supervisor on the door throughout the night to reduce the risk of crime.

The garage, however, said this would not be appropriate, as late-night sales would only take place through the night pay window.

When police refused to drop their objection, the garage withdrew its application and requested instead a licence between 5am and 11pm – the hours when the store’s doors are open. It will be the sixth Worcester service station licensed to sell alcohol.

However, several nearby residents remained concerns about the garage’s plans to sell coffee and hot snacks late at night, which also requires a special licence following a change in government legislation.

Malvern Road resident Simon Atkins and Brian Cullis were among those who feared an increase in late-night noise.

Although he did not accept this was the case, Malthurst’s lawyer Robert Botkai offered to drop the application for late-night hot snacks and drinks altogether.

He said: “My client is quite relaxed about this. The garage only expected to sell two or three cups of coffee a night.”