A shop at the centre of repeated complaints from the public and other shop keepers for selling illegal tobacco has been closed by Gateshead Council.
Ali Baba Shop on Coatsworth Road in the Bensham area has been the subject of numerous complaints from the public about the sale of illegal tobacco, as well as anti-social behaviour associated with the shop.
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Last week, Gateshead Council made a successful application at South Tyneside Magistrates Court for a Closure Order which will see the premises closed for the next three months. The premises will remain closed until October.
The application was made after numerous complaints were received about the sale of illegal tobacco. On two occasions in the past four months two large seizures were made when officers visited the premises with a tobacco detection dog which was able to identify sophisticated hidden devices.
The closure notice was issued under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, which gives the police and council powers to shut down premises if they are satisfied that their use results in nuisance to the public or public disorder.
Councillor Linda Green, Gateshead Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Volunteering, said: “This kind of unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated. We will always use the powers available to use to stamp out the sale of illegal tobacco that is so harmful to our communities.
“We will continue to work closely with Northumbria Police to tackle the criminality and anti-social behaviour that sellers of illegal tobacco inevitably bring to the area.”
Inspector Kevin Ashurst from Northumbria Police said: “We have an excellent working relationship with the local authority and regularly work together to tackle the issues which are most important to residents – and that often includes anti-social behaviour.
“In this case, the area around this particular shop was attracting individuals who were loitering, causing disorder, and reportedly selling illegal tobacco, all of which was having a detrimental impact on the community.
“The owner of the shop was also spoken to and issued words of advice, but chose to ignore this, resulting in a closure order being issued and a search of the premises, leading the recovery of a quantity of suspected illegal cigarettes and tobacco.
“I hope this sends a strong message to businesses who refuse to co-operate with authorities when it comes to making the town a better place to live.
“If we suspect a premises is allowing anti-social behaviour and disorder then we are not afraid to take these kind of measures.”
Alice Wiseman, Gateshead's Director of Public Health, said: "In Gateshead, tobacco use kills over 500 people every year. That's one person every 17 hours. The availability of illegal tobacco makes it even more difficult to tackle this issue, as the lack of regulation and cheap prices make it harder for people to quit.
“Illegal sellers also make tobacco more accessible to children, deliberately creating addictions at an early age. The vast majority of adult smokers started smoking during childhood and adolescence and wish they could stop.
“And unfortunately, many of the people who buy these products just see it as a way to save money and often don't realise that they could be supporting serious organised crime. It's far from a victimless crime and taking illegal tobacco off our streets helps protect people in many different ways."
If you'd like to share some information and help keep illegal tobacco out of your community, you can report it on the Illegal Tobacco Hotline: 0300 999 0000. It's quick, easy and completely anonymous.
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