A Keighley pub boss has been fined and ordered to pay costs after a 15-year-old boy was served alcohol in the premises.

Naresh Patel, the designated premises supervisor at the Victoria Hotel in Cavendish Street, was convicted in his absence by Bradford and Keighley Magistrates.

The court was told the case, brought by West Yorkshire Trading Standards, related to a sale of alcohol to an underage child on February 25, 2012.

The Victoria is owned by a company called Ryanbianca Ltd.

Patel, the designated premises supervisor, premises license holder and director of Ryanbianca Ltd did not attend court.

Magistrates were told the premises had been targeted due to concerns that underage children were being sold alcohol. A joint test purchase was carried out by West Yorkshire Trading Standards and West Yorkshire Police using two underage test purchasers.

A sale was made of a bottle of Heineken lager with five per cent volume to a 15-year-old boy, the court was told.

Patel was not present at the time of the sale. At this time the bar attendant had refused to serve one of the test purchasers, however continued to serve the other without asking for their ID.”

Magistrates fined Ryanbianca Ltd £1,200 and ordered the company to pay costs of £1,008 and a £15 victim surcharge.

After the case, a Trading Standards spokesman said: “This was not the first time there had been a sale of alcohol made to an underage child while under the supervision of Mr Patel and Ryanbianca Ltd.

“In December 2011 a sale of alcohol was made to a 15-year-old female test purchaser. Following this a letter had been sent to Mr Patel to make him aware of this, and warning him a further test purchase would be carried out. Despite this, a further sale was still made.”

Graham Hebblethwaite, West Yorkshire's chief trading standards officer, said: “We’ve worked hard to reduce the number of underage sales of alcohol to minors.

“We’ll continue to take legal action against the minority of traders who run premises where children can purchase alcohol.”

Staff at the Victoria Hotel did not want to comment about the prosecution.