A convenience store i Billingham has been closed as officers in Stockton and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council continue to clamp down on counterfeit and illicit cigarette and vape sales.
Station Road Convenience Store on Station Road has been given a three-month closure order, which was secured by the Council at Teesside Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (Oct 15).
The Court heard how complaints had been made from the public regarding illegal cigarette sales and underage sales.
Test purchases carried out by the Council's Trading Standards Team confirmed cigarettes sold at the premises failed to comply with the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 and the Trade Marks Act 1994.
The illicit cigarettes were also sold for £5, well below the usual market price of cigarettes.
Trading Standards officers, with support from Cleveland Police and a tobacco detection dog and handler, also seized 5340 illegal cigarettes and 40 x 50g packets of illicit tobacco from a concealment within a section of a brick wall that had been precisely cut to resemble a small door.
Officers also seized 120 single use vapes which are prohibited for sale under The Environmental Protection (Single use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 which came into place June 1, 2025.
Inspector Tony Cross, from Stockton's neighbourhood policing team, said, "By working alongside our partners we have closed a shop that was operating illegally through the sale of counterfeit cigarettes and single use vapes.
"This happened because we listened to concerns from members of the public who reported the activity and then took action that has led to the store being granted closure for up to three-months.
"I want to take this opportunity to encourage people to keep on reporting crimes like this knowing that it will be acted upon."
Meanwhile, a store in Haslingden has been closed down after 'illicit products' valued at more than £30,000 were seized from the premises.
Rossendale Neighbourhood Policing Team secured a Closure Order for the European Mini Market on Manchester Road, Haslingden following a joint operation between Lancashire Police and Trading Standards.
The investigation took place in an attempt to target the concern and supply of illegal and illicit tobacco, cigarettes, vapes, and e-cigarettes. It was found that over the past 12 months, four joint inspections at the premises saw the seizure of illicit products valued at more than £30,000.
The application for the Closure Order, which will last for three months, was supported by evidence provided by the local community. On Wednesday, October 15, Burnley Magistrates Court granted the order, which bans access to the property while it is in place. Three months is the maximum length of time a closure order can last for.