Morrisons has been given the green light to sell alcohol 24 hours a day from its Penrith stores.

The national chain's applications to Eden Council to vary the premises licences for its supermarket and filling station on Brunswick Road have been granted.

The company wanted to be able to sell alcohol at any time, day or night, to meet demand from customers, while it was previously restricted to only doing so from 6am to midnight.

It also wanted to be able to offer ‘late night refreshments’ – items sold above ambient temperature – from 11pm to 5am.

The requests were considered by Eden Council's licensing committee at a virtual meeting last Wednesday and following representations from Gosschalks Solicitors, on behalf of Morrisons, and local residents against the proposals, the council has now notified the firm its applications were granted.

A council spokesperson said: "The licensing committee granted the application, subject to the applicable mandatory conditions and such other conditions as are consistent with the application and those that have been agreed between the applicant and Eden Council’s environmental health department."

Residents who lived near to the supermarket spoke against the applications at the meeting, expressing concerns about car park lighting, anti-social behaviour and alcohol being consumed nearby.

Objector Mrs Ferguson, who lives in Elm Terrace, said: “Increasing access to alcohol is not going to contribute to a healthy and well-ordered society but to exactly the reverse.

“Of course Morrisons want to maximise their profits but the pursuit of profit isn’t everything.”

However, the police did not raise objections to the plans and Richard Taylor, head of Gosschalks’ licensing department, said both premises were already licensed to open 24 hours a day.

He told the committee that the supermarket giant wanted to be a "good neighbour" and had agreed to provide a security guard and block access to car park spaces immediately behind houses on Elm Terrace if alcohol was being sold between midnight and 6am.

Those measures were recommended due to concerns about public nuisance related to the supermarket application from the council’s senior environmental health officer.