Welling c-store closed permanently over continuous sale of illegal tobacco products

A shop in Welling has been permanently closed by Bexley Council over sales of illegal cigarettes and tobacco products.

Bellegrove Convenience store in Bellegrove Road was found selling products which were not packaged or produced for legal sale in the UK. Bexley Trading Standards employed covert surveillance during the investigation for test purchasing and product seizures, Yahoo News reported on Monday (1).

This then proved continual and organised breaches of the commercial tenancy, according to Bexley Council. 

A spokesperson for Bexley Council said the shop had been the subject of many enforcement actions over many years. The council used the Proceeds of Crime procedures to put an end to trading at the shop.

The closure follows a similar shop closure in September 2021 for selling illicit tobacco in Erith. 3,147 packets of cigarettes and 42 kilograms of hand-rolling tobacco estimated to be worth £32,000 was seized from the Erith shop.

Councillor Peter Craske, Bexley’s cabinet member for places, said, “Illicit tobacco not only harms our efforts to reduce smoking in the borough but also presents a serious fire risk to Bexley residents.

“Our Officers often find that long-established independent newsagents also suffer a drop in trade when the criminals move into small retail units nearby.

“This successful closure will make a sizable dent in the cash profits of these determined and organised criminals.

“We are determined to continue working closely with the Police and commercial landlords to track down and permanently stop the selling of smuggled and unsafe products under the counter.”

“The Council’s Trading Standards team has permanently closed Bellegrove Convenience Store at 98 Bellegrove Road, Welling, for selling illegal cigarettes and tobacco products,” a spokesperson for Bexley Council said.

“The products are not produced or packaged for legal sale in the UK and when tested are likely to fail UK safety regulations that require cigarettes to self-extinguish to prevent house fires.”