Wiltshire businesses ordered to close after illegal tobacco and vapes seized
It follows a number of complaints and test purchases.
Three Wiltshire businesses have been ordered to close for three months after illegal tobacco and vapes were seized.
It follows a number of complaints and test purchases.
The tobacco and vapes were seized from the Chippenham, Devizes and Melksham businesses when Trading Standards officers visited in November.
Cllr Dominic Muns, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: "Our Trading Standards team is working very hard to tackle illegal sales in Wiltshire and these closure orders are an excellent result for the team. The investigation into these businesses showed some very concerning breaches and incidents, resulting in our officers deeming it necessary to serve the closure orders.
"Illegal tobacco is often sold at hugely discounted prices at around £5 to £6 per packet as opposed to around £32 for a genuine 50g packet of tobacco. A price which is more likely to enable people to continue smoking, undermining the Government's strategy to reduce the number of smokers in the UK.
"This closure order and subsequent prosecution show that we are acting on our Business Plan commitment to safeguard our residents from harm and tackle businesses that aren't complying with the law.
"I'd also like to thank Wiltshire Police for their assistance in this case and also our colleagues in the Public Health team who helped with the funding for the tobacco detection dogs that we use in the raids.
Kate Blackburn, Director of Public Health, said: "There is no safe level of smoking, and the availability of cheap illegal tobacco keeps people trapped in a lethal addiction and we're pleased to support our Trading Standards colleagues in their efforts to reduce this."