COVENTRY’S Radford Minimarket store has been ordered to close for three months after a City Council investigation revealed the continuing sale of illegal cigarettes.
The Radford Road store has become the first in the city to be issued with a closure order by the Courts for selling illegal cigarettes, despite earlier warnings and a prosecution where a fine was imposed.
The court granted the order last month after the council’s trading standards team applied for it, and it will remain in place until March 21.
During the closure period, no one is allowed to access or remain in the store.
Selling illegal cigarettes means traders don’t comply with UK labelling requirements, and the low cost indicates duty and VAT payments haven’t been made.
They are also sold at a lower price, removing a cost barrier which stops children from buying cigarettes and encouraging smoking at a young age.
A survey conducted in 2017 by the Illicit Tobacco Partnership, a tobacco control programme, found 50 per cent of underage smokers in the northeast of England said illegal tobacco had helped them get hooked.
The council’s deputy leader Coun Abdul Salam Khan, who is also the Cabinet Member Responsible for Policing, said: “This is the first time the Council has applied for an Order for the sale of illegal cigarettes, and we are delighted the Court supported our approach.
“This action has not been taken lightly and follows a lengthy investigation and previous warnings to the store owner.
“The sale of illegal tobacco products is a problem in many communities and has many consequences, and in taking this action we are sending a warning to anyone involved in the trade that we will use all resources available to us to protect the residents of our city.”
