AN INDIAN takeaway in the north east of the city will be able to extend its alcohol delivery service despite health board concerns over drinking problems in the area.

Licensing chiefs granted Garngad Takeaway, on Royston Road, a variation to its premises licence, allowing alcohol to be delivered until 10pm.

The two-hour increase was opposed by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), which says alcohol-related hospital visits in the area are 164 per cent above the Scottish rate.

HSCP representative Elaina Smith told the board it is “already a neighbourhood with well established, significant alcohol problems” and asked councillors to consider rejecting home delivery.

“That is our main concern,” she said. “This is not going to get any better.”

Councillors quizzed the takeaway owner and their representative on how often tonic wine was sold. “Very, very rarely,” they said.

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Bailie Josephine Docherty asked: “How many bottles of Buckfast would you sell?”

But chairman Matt Kerr said: “We can’t have that line of questioning.”

The takeaway’s representative said staff can refuse orders where there is significantly more alcohol to food.

She said: “They are experienced. This is a family-run business.

“People tend not to abuse the system, it’s a very close-knit community.

“If it was an area of concern the community would be up in arms.”

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The health board also opposed an application by the Wee Man’s Bar, on Gallowgate.

The pub was granted permission to allow children and young people to enter until 8pm, if accompanied by an adult and ordering a meal.

Ms Smith said the area also had high levels of alcohol-related hospital visits, 76 per cent higher than the Scottish rate.

She said it was a traditional drinking environment and research shows young people simulate the environment around them, modelling drinking patterns on what they have seen.

The board’s concerns related to a “normalisation of alcohol”.

The pub’s representative said it was a “traditional public house premises in the East End”, which wanted to take a ‘pub grub’ approach.

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“We’re not expecting a large number of children,” he said. “There’s not likely to be any more than four at any given time. It’s to add to the facility.”