A local convenience store in Nottinghamshire that stocked illegal products and repeatedly sold restricted goods to children has been closed.
Earlier this month, Nottinghamshire Police, supported by Ashfield District Council, has issued a closure order to the Buy and Save store in Stanton Hill.
The order, issued under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act and confirmed by Mansfield Magistrates’ Court last week, will force the closure of the shop for a minimum period of three months and will also trigger a mandatory licencing review.
The orders came after multiple complaints about the store over repeated sale of cigarettes, alcohol and vaping products to under-age customers, and the repeated sale of illegal vaping products.
The store also sold a large kitchen knife to a child during a test police purchase and was also found to have two machetes behind the counter – items the store claimed were for protection.
A large quantity of cannabis-infused sweets were also found behind the counter during a police visit. Multiple complaints were also filed by residents about antisocial behaviour linked to the store – from the reckless use of fireworks outside to aggressive driving and littering.
Inspector John Hewitt, district commander for Ashfield, said: “Thanks to its continued and reckless disregard for the law this business has sadly become a magnet for antisocial behaviour.
“We have received regular complaints about this venue and have worked in partnership with colleagues at the local council and Trading Standards to take this decisive action.
“Licencing laws and other retail restrictions are there for a reason and we simply won’t tolerate people who repeatedly choose to flout them.
“This business has received multiple warnings and has failed to make the changes demanded of it. I hope the decisive action we have now taken will serve as a warning to others about the consequences of such behaviour.”
