Horwich shop hit with closure order for selling illegal goods

Horwich Mini Market on Lee Lane will be shut for three months under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.     

The closure order was granted on Friday 6 September by Wigan Magistrates Court.

Almost 20,000 illegal cigarettes, 300 illegal vapes and 7 kgs of illegal tobacco were seized from the premises on number of visits by trading standards which date back to 2022.

Illegal tobacco and tobacco products are those sold in the UK without excise duty and are typically imported from unregulated manufacturers. 

Like legal tobacco, they often contain harmful substances but lack the regulations that legal products must comply to. 

Illegal products can often be identified by the packaging which typically does not contain the specified health warnings normally found on such products. 

This is the third premises Bolton Council has closed in the past two years as the crackdown on this illegal trading continues.  

A spokesperson for Bolton Council’s Public Health Team said:   

“Over 350 Bolton residents will die prematurely this year due to smoking related illness. 

“We welcome enforcement activities that tackle the illicit trade and reduce the availability of illegal tobacco products in our communities.

“For details of a range of support options available in Bolton to help smokers quit for good and improve overall health and wellbeing, visit the Lets Keep Bolton Moving website.”

Cllr Sue Haworth, Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services said:     

“Closure orders are not easy to obtain and the shutting down of a business is very much the last resort for the council.

“But we will not tolerate this criminality or have people’s health put at risk from consuming illegal tobacco and vapes which are not regulated.   

“We urge anyone with information of illegal or suspected illegal products being sold in our borough to contact trading standards by email [email protected] or call 0808 223 1133.”