Three Ashington shops issued closure notice over illegal tobacco sale

Three shops in Ashington have been ordered to shut their doors by magistrates after they were caught repeatedly selling thousands of pounds worth of illegal tobacco, stated Northumberland County Council on Monday (31).

According to the council, the closure orders have been imposed against Ashington Fruit and Veg Ltd on Woodhorn Road, M&A Mini Market Ltd and Euro Express after  a lengthy investigation by trading standards officers at Northumberland County Council, after which the authority applied to North Northumbria Magistrates Court.

Ashington Fruit and Veg will be closed for three months from January 20, while M&A Mini Market on Station Road will close for one month and Euro Express on Lintonville Terrace will remain closed for two months.

The council say the owners of Ashington Fruit and Veg had been caught with more than £3,300 worth of tobacco, which was seized following two visits to the premises over two months. Tobacco was found hidden in the wall and within the fruit and vegetables, reports said.

At Euro Express, £4,000 of illicit tobacco was found during three visits – including on one occasion where reportedly products were seized, only for officers to return an hour later to find it had already been restocked.

M&A Mini Markets had £1,600 worth of tobacco seized in three visits over three months.

Northumberland County Councillor, Colin Horncastle, cabinet member with responsibility for community services said: “I’m pleased that the magistrates have supported the actions of the council and in doing so agreed to impose closures to prevent the businesses from continuing to trade.

“I hope this sends out a strong and clear message, that we will not tolerate this criminal activity and there is no hiding place.

“Closing a business is not a decision we take lightly, but despite being under criminal investigation for previous offences of selling illicit tobacco, secondary raids found they were once again selling the black-market products.

“These business owners had no respect for the law, or the harm they were doing, especially to the health of the younger members of their community, and now they will pay the consequences of their illegal actions.”