Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Police have obtained a closure order on three stores. Local Express Broad Lane, Easy Store Dale Street, and Beatles News on Victoria Street have been closed down after numerous seizures of counterfeit cigarettes, stolen mobile phones, and Nicotine Inhaling Devices (vapes). The closure order will be in place for three months until March 19, 2024, under Section 80 of the Antisocial Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. The order prevents anyone from accessing the premises, and the owners will not be allowed to trade from the premises while it is in force.
According to Local Policing Inspector Jack Woodward, these stores were suspected to be involved in anti-social behaviour and had become a significant hotspot for illegal vapes, nitrous oxide, and cannabis vapes in the past 12 months. The police have been working closely with Liverpool City Council Alcohol and Tobacco Unit and have seized thousands of pounds worth of illegal capacity vapes during this period. In September 2023, a 30-year-old man from Bootle was arrested following the discovery of cannabis vapes and stolen mobile phones in his vehicle.
Councillor Harry Doyle, the Cabinet Member for Public Health, described the closure of the stores as an important message to the shops supplying illegal vapes and counterfeit goods. He further added that this is one of several prosecutions that are going on, and hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of illegal vapes have been seized so far. Merseyside Police have also urged anyone who knows of a store selling illegal products to get in touch with them, allowing them to take action jointly with the authorities. They hope that these measures will eliminate counterfeit goods from the streets and communities.
These criminals often use profits from counterfeit goods to fund other organized crime activities which could lead to violence and adversely affect the local community. Merseyside Police works closely with other relevant authorities to investigate and take appropriate action whenever such cases are reported
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