Overview
- Teesside Magistrates issued a three‑month closure order for Station Road Convenience Store in Billingham after undercover test purchases confirmed illegal cigarette sales.
- Officers seized 5,340 illicit cigarettes, forty 50g tobacco packs and 120 prohibited single‑use vapes, with tobacco hidden behind a cut brick‑wall compartment.
- Burnley Magistrates’ Court granted a three‑month closure order for European Mini Market in Haslingden after four joint inspections recovered illicit goods worth more than £30,000.
- Police and trading standards credited community intelligence and test purchases for triggering the actions and urged residents to keep reporting suspected illegal sales.
- Local authorities continue to rely on short‑term closure powers, with Coventry citing repeat closures at several outlets and limitations on pursuing permanent shutdowns.