Salisbury shop served with closure order for illegal tobacco sales
It's Wiltshire's 10th store to have been shut down following Council action
A Salisbury convenience store's been issued with a closure order following illegal tobacco sales.
Romanco, on New Canal, has had enforcement action taken by Wiltshire Council, after repeated dealings with Trading Standards and the seizure of counterfeit products.
Salisbury Magistrates’ Court granted the closure order this week (Monday 19th May) under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 - requiring it to close until 19th July 2025.
Only named habitual residents and authorised individuals may now enter the address.
The business is owned by HMF Express Ltd, and their director, Biryar Mohammed, must attend three hours training to be provided by Trading Standards before the end of the closure period.
What happened?
In November 2024, Trading Standards carried out a test purchase operation, acting on intelligence that tobacco products were being sold to underage customers.
A 16-year-old volunteer was initially quoted £6 for a pack of cigarettes, before the sale was ultimately refused.
A legitimate pack of the same brand usually costs over £14.
Then in December, an undercover officer visited a previously-closed shop in Salisbury and was directed to Romanco, where staff sold him a packet of Richmond and Lambert & Butler cigarettes for £6 each.
The next day, another undercover officer purchased a pack of Richmond cigarettes for just £5.
All cigarettes purchased were later confirmed as counterfeit, with the Richmond packs also in non-standardised packaging.
A full enforcement visit followed, with officers and a tobacco detection dog uncovering 256 packs of cigarettes and 37 packs of hand-rolling tobacco - all of which were illegal and seized.
Despite a formal warning to the store, further illegal tobacco was found at the premises in March 2025.
Cllr Paul Sample, Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate and Waste, said: “This closure sends a clear message that illegal tobacco has no place in Wiltshire. These operations often target vulnerable customers, bypass important health regulations, and undercut legitimate local businesses. I’d like to thank our Trading Standards team for their continued vigilance and professionalism in protecting our communities.
“If you suspect that illegal tobacco is being sold in your village or town, please report it to Trading Standards at tradingstandards@wiltshire.gov.uk or report it online anonymously at https://www.tssw.org.uk/work-areas/report-it/.”
Previous closure orders have been issued in Salisbury, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Devizes and Melksham following illegal tobacco and vape sales.