TWO shops in Taunton have closed after illegal tobacco and vapes were found on the premises.

Taunton Market and Top Market, at 80 and 73 Station Road respectively, were both targeted by test purchases and visits from Trading Standards officers – as well as tobacco detection dogs – since July.

Now, both have been handed three-month closure orders after a hearing at Taunton magistrates’ Court.
Illegal tobacco and vapes were taken from both premises.

In July, 12,000 cigarettes, 2.5kg of tobacco and almost 1,000 vapes were discovered in a rear room at Top Market, accessed via a concealed door in the wall display panelling.

And a revisit just two months later revealed further illegal products being kept in the same room.

The seized products had a street value of more than £20,000.

At Taunton Market in July, more than 35,000 cigarettes, 6.5kg of tobacco and 540 vapes were seized from an associated flat.

And in September, a vehicle linked with the premises was intercepted delivering tobacco products to the shop, with 10,260 cigarettes, 2.5kg of tobacco and 84 vapes seized.

In total, seizures associated with Taunton Market were estimated to have a street value of almost £30,000.

In both cases, Taunton Magistrates were satisfied the closure of the retail and associated residential premises was necessary to prevent further criminal activity from taking place in relation to the sale of illegal tobacco.

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Alex Fry, operations manager at the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said: “We are pleased to have worked with Avon and Somerset Police as part of this operation.

“Combatting the supply of illegal tobacco and vapes is a high priority for us.

“By taking these products off the streets, we’re able to help protect our communities as well as supporting those businesses on the high street that trade legally.”

Following the closure order for Taunton market being implemented, Avon & Somerset PC Lydia Shipton said: “The illegal sale of items has been ongoing for a significant period of time, and we’ve worked closely with our partners, including Trading Standards, to make sure we had a strong case to put before the court.

“We hope the closure of this premises reassures the community that we take action against those that harm our communities.”

READ MORE: Taunton news from your Somerset Leveller

Police sought a closure order on the Taunton Market shop, in Station Road. Picture: Avon & Somerset Police