The Liverpool shop’s owner was also ordered to pay more than £3,700 in costs
The Corner Shop on Picton Road, Wavertree(Image: Liverpool Council)
A Liverpool shop has been shut down after an investigation exposed illegal activity which presented a “real danger” to children. The Corner Shop on Picton Road, Wavertree, was exposed after an undercover team found a series of illicit products including a cache of fake cigarettes in the boot of the shop owner’s car.
Despite repeated warnings and the earlier seizure of stock, Liverpool City Council said the shop owner continued to trade illegally, and later inspections found vapes were being sold to underage customers without any ID checks. When a staff member was questioned about the practice, it was revealed that he had no right to work in the UK, according to council officials.
The local authority’s Public Protection team (PPT) were first alerted to illegal activity by The Corner Shop early last year, after it was reported to be selling unregulated cigarettes.
The PPT then applied for a closure order of the premise under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which was awarded on September 19, 2024. The shop was forced to close for two months, with the owner ordered to pay additional costs of £1,200.
In December 2024, just one month after the store reopened, a further investigation found that illicit cigarettes and vapes were still being sold to the public. The owner was warned that another closure order would be submitted if they continued.
A visit by the PPT in April this year found that the shop had changed management and the new owner was advised on how to comply with the law. Despite this, the PPT continued to receive reports that illicit sales were taking place.
When the premises was served a new closure order at the start of September, it came to light the ownership had changed hands once again in June. While the new owner claimed that the illicit sales were not happening under him, undercover purchases by the PPT told another story.
Additionally, an investigation by the team on the same day found a number of illicit and single-use vapes in the premises, as well as unregulated cigarettes and tobacco hidden in the owner’s car boot.
This catalogue of breaches was laid bare during a hearing at magistrates court on Thursday September 18. As a result, the shop was forced to close for the maximum amount of time (three months), with the owner ordered to pay £3,726 in costs.
Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, cabinet member for communities, neighbourhoods and streetscene, said: “This persistent disregard for the law is completely unacceptable. Repeated warnings were ignored and when businesses continue to put profit before public safety, we will take firm action to protect residents.
“This closure sends a clear message: we will not tolerate businesses who flout the rules.”
The requirements restrict e-cigarette tanks to a capacity of no more than 2ml, around 600 puffs, while the maximum volume of nicotine-containing e-liquid for sale in one refill container is restricted to 10ml.
Earlier this year, single-use vapes were banned from sale by businesses across the UK. The new legislation applies to all disposable vapes, regardless of whether they contain nicotine, and covers both in-store and online sales.
Cllr Harry Doyle, cabinet member for health, wellbeing and culture, added: “Unregulated cigarettes and vapes can contain harmful and banned ingredients that present a real danger to the health of our communities, particularly to children and young people.
“While genuine vapes can be a helpful tool for people trying to stop smoking, they must be bought from reputable retailers. We will continue to act decisively to remove unsafe products from our streets and to support measures that reduce smoking-related harm across the city.”