Shop loses operating licence after officers seize 600 laughing gas canisters

The owner of a convenience store where more than 600 laughing gas canisters were found has had her licence to operate revoked.

A licensing hearing for Bolton Council heard that officers who visited Ramiro’s Minimarket, St Helens’ Road, Bolton, last August found 26 boxes of small silver nitrous oxide gas canisters containing 24 in each box.

The officer had been acting on intelligence that ‘young people were buying the canisters and inhaling them for recreational drug use’.

In a report to the panel, an officer from Bolton’s regulatory services, said: “It was explained that evidence of young people inhaling gas in the immediate area had been obtained.

“I undertook another site visit on the morning of March 16, 2021, to the immediate area adjacent to Ramiro’s.

“It was evident from my findings that the area is detrimentally affected with spent nitrous oxide canisters that have been discarded as litter. During my inspection, there was evidence of deflated balloons alongside the canisters.

“In total, 19 discarded balloons and 10 spent gas canisters were found along the stretch of footpath positioned near to Ramiro’s and a further three balloons and four gas canisters in the rear street behind convenience store in question.”

The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 prohibits businesses to sell nitrous oxide gas canisters for the purpose of inhalation.

The panel also heard that the shop was visited by a worker from tobacco manufacturer Gallaher Ltd on October 7, 2020 who was wearing a covert camera.

During that visit they were sold a 50g pouch of Amber Leaf rolling tobacco for £18.

This was found not to be for sale in the UK and was therefore illegal.

Trading Standards submitted information to the panel about other complaints they had received alleging the sale of illegal tobacco from the premises.

The solicitor for the premises licence holder Jenifer Bogdan said shoppers were apparently purchasing items at another local shop and littering St Helen’s Road on the side of the premises.

He added that staff had been disciplined over the sale of illegal tobacco.

Revoking Bogdan’s licence, the committee, said: “We were concerned about the sale of illegal tobacco from the shop and did not find it credible that the licence holder was not aware.

“She had been prosecuted previously for the same offence and that the council had received a large number of complaints that the premises continued to sell illegal tobacco.

“We were also very concerned about the identification of a large stock of nitrous oxide canisters at the premises and did not find and explanation for keeping this number of canisters.”