Three Wiltshire businesses have been served with closure notices by Wiltshire Council’s Trading Standards team, following seizures of illegal tobacco and vapes under the Anti-Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.
The New Road Mini Mart in Chippenham, Rex Vape Station Ltd in Devizes and Milksham Vape & Shop in Melksham were all served with closure notices on 9 December, Wiltshire Council has reported.
The requests came following complaints, seizures of illegal tobacco and vapes and test purchases. Illegal tobacco and vapes were seized in November when Trading Standards officers visited with a tobacco detection dog and Wiltshire Police.
A court hearing was held at Swindon Magistrates Court on 11 December, where three-month closure orders were granted for all three premises. Only those who are named habitual residents and authorised persons are now permitted to enter the addresses. Stores were also issued with advice on the legal requirements for selling tobacco products, vapes and other age-restricted items.
Cllr Dominic Muns, cabinet member for environment, said: “Our Trading Standards team is working very hard to tackle illegal sales in Wiltshire and these closure orders are an excellent result for the team. The investigation into these businesses showed some very concerning breaches and incidents, resulting in our officers deeming it necessary to serve the closure orders.”
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