Council forces closure of illegal tobacco shop
A SHOP at the centre of repeated complaints from the public and other shopkeepers for selling illegal tobacco has been closed by Gateshead Council.
Ali Baba Shop on Coatsworth Road in the Bensham area has been the subject of numerous complaints from the public about the sale of illegal tobacco, as well as anti-social behaviour associated with the shop.
Last week, Gateshead Council made a successful application at South Tyneside Magistrates Court for a Closure Order which will see the premises closed for the next three months. The premises will remain closed until October.
The application was made after numerous complaints were received about the sale of illegal tobacco. On two occasions in the past four months two large seizures were made when officers visited the premises with a tobacco detection dog which was able to identify sophisticated hidden devices.
The closure notice was issued under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, which gives the police and council powers to shut down premises if they are satisfied that their use results in nuisance to the public or public disorder.
Councillor Linda Green, Gateshead Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Volunteering, said: “This kind of unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated. We will always use the powers available to use to stamp out the sale of illegal tobacco that is so harmful to our communities.”
Inspector Kevin Ashurst from Northumbria Police said: “We have an excellent working relationship with the local authority and regularly work together to tackle the issues which are most important to residents - and that often includes anti-social behaviour.
“In this case, the area around this particular shop was attracting individuals who were loitering, causing disorder, and reportedly selling illegal tobacco, all of which was having a detrimental impact on the community.
“The owner of the shop was also spoken to and issued words of advice, but chose to ignore this, resulting in a closure order being issued and a search of the premises, leading the recovery of a quantity of suspected illegal cigarettes and tobacco.
“I hope this sends a strong message to businesses who refuse to co-operate with authorities when it comes to making the town a better place to live.
“If we suspect a premises is allowing anti-social behaviour and disorder then we are not afraid to take these kind of measures.”