A SHOP has been issued a three-month closure order after thousands of illegal cigarettes were found in a matter of weeks.

Barnsley Magistrates’ Court issued the closure last Thursday to ensure that Mr Blue, on Doncaster Road, would be prohibited from selling the illegal goods.

During an initial visit to the business back in January, Trading Standards officers found 7,400 illegal cigarettes and ten pouches of hand rolling tobacco that breached key safety regulations.

They also found a hidden concealment during a follow-up visit later that month, containing another 3,680 illegal cigarettes and 47 non-compliant pouches of hand rolling tobacco.

None of the tobacco products found and seized during these visits conformed with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, missing the legally required health warnings.

Officers also found the products were being sold for as little as £5.

Under the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, local authorities can ask the courts to issue closure orders to businesses found to be engaging in criminal behaviour and causing a public nuisance, helping to prevent these activities from continuing or recurring.

Alongside the three-month closure order, Mr Blue’s current tenant, Shaxawan Mustapha Ahmed, was also ordered to pay costs of £3,748.