Illegal Halifax trader stripped of alcohol licence after trading standards investigation

On April 21 2021, the Calderdale Council Licensing Sub Committee met to hear an application for review of the licence to sell alcohol at 7 Days Mini Market, 226 Pellon Lane, Halifax, HX1 5RU.

The review application was submitted by West Yorkshire Police in conjunction with West Yorkshire Trading Standards after multi agency operations.

Trading Standards Officers carried out test purchases at the store, and where illegal tobacco was sold, this was then followed up with inspection visits.

Large quantities of illegal tobacco were seized from the store. The tobacco was hidden in a wall cavity inside 7 days Mini Marke

Despite this being the first time illegal tobacco had been seized from the store, it's alcohol licence was revoked due to the serious nature of the offences.

Linda Davis, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Manager said, “I fully support the action taken by the sub committee against the store. This sends out the strong message to traders that if illegal tobacco is found on premises on just one occasion, the business is at serious risk of losing its licence to sell alcohol.

"Far from being a victimless crime, illegal tobacco trading creates a cheap source for children and young people and encourages adults to continue smoking by eroding cost motivation to quit. It is also linked to organised crime, human trafficking and money laundering and contributes to an underground economy worth hundreds of millions of pounds.”

The Tackling Illicit Tobacco for Better Health Programme, funded by the five Public Health departments, is helping people to stop tobacco use for good by educating the public and by investigating traders who supply cheap and illicit tobacco.

The initiative uses multi-agency enforcement and community marketing campaigns to tackle the problems of the illicit trade.

To date the programme has taken nearly seven million illicit cigarettes and 2.5 tonnes of illicit hand rolling tobacco off the streets of West Yorkshire. With more inspections planned in the coming weeks, these figures are set to increase. Training sessions with thousands of members of the public and hundreds of front line professionals have been delivered to raise awareness about the dangers and wider criminality associated with the supply of illicit tobacco.