Ferndown shop shut down after repeated sales of illegal products
A Ferndown convenience store has been shut down for three months after repeatedly selling illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes
A Ferndown convenience store has been forced to close for three months after repeatedly selling illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes, despite multiple warnings from Trading Standards.
Euro Mini Market on Victoria Road was issued with an immediate closure notice following a joint operation by Dorset Council’s Trading Standards team and Dorset Police.
Officers told the court the business had been visited several times over the past year, with illicit and non-compliant nicotine products seized on each occasion.
Yet the activity continued, culminating in a large haul being confiscated on the very night the closure notice was served.
Dorset Council said the shop’s persistent offending left authorities with “no choice” but to apply for the maximum three-month closure period.
Cllr Gill Taylor said: “There are strict rules regarding the sale of vapes and tobacco products to protect customers and we will not tolerate persistent offending or breaking of those rules.
“This serves as a warning to all business owners. If you fail to get your house in order after repeated warnings, we will take legal action.”
Trading Standards officers added that illegal tobacco and vapes, often sold at “pocket money prices”, pose particular risks to children, who are more easily drawn into nicotine addiction when products are cheap and sold without age checks.
Police said they would continue to work closely with Trading Standards to curb the illicit trade.
Sergeant Jane Moore, from the East Dorset Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We have a duty of care to our communities, particularly young people who end up using these products, and we will endeavour to protect them from the dangers of these illegal items.”
Authorities also flagged the wider criminal networks often linked to the illegal tobacco trade, warning that profits can funnel into organised crime, including drug and weapon smuggling, money laundering and even human trafficking.
The store must remain closed until early 2025, after which further enforcement action may be taken if illegal sales resume.