Merseyside Police and trading standards have been taking action against a number of shops, seven of which have been closed
The Heswall Local Shop is now closed(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Five pounds spent in a shop, anonymous tip offs, and raids of bathroom mirrors and secret magnetic containers are just some of the ways authorities have cracked down on illegal activity in one part of Merseyside.
In recent months, Merseyside Police and Wirral Council have taken action against 13 businesses in the borough in operations they said are to “target retailers operating illegally”. Seven vape and cigarette shops have since been forced to close.
The power to close shops comes from the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 which gives police or councils the power to close a business for up to three months.
A court may grant a closure order if there are concerns around “disorderly, offensive or criminal behaviour”, “serious nuisance to members of the public”, and disorder linked to a premises.
These orders have been described as being “a fast and effective way” to deal with serious crime and persistent anti-social behaviour with councils using them to crack down on businesses selling illegal tobacco and vape products. In one year, Liverpool Council seized over 32,000 illicit vapes and cigarettes with a combined value of £378,000.
Now Wirral Council has been taking action with a series of prosecutions and raids in recent weeks. In December, the council slapped two Wallasey businesses with closure orders after five enforcement visits.
Wallasey Market was closed in December(Image: Copyright Unknown)
At Wallasey Market, 560 illegal e-cigarettes were found, 220 illegal refill cartridges, 1kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco, and 90 illegal cigarettes were found. At the UK Mini Market, there were over 27,000 illegal cigarettes found, nearly £6kg of illegal tobacco, and 51 single-use e-cigarettes, while five people were also arrested.
A month later, the local authority was back in court again and Birko, a shop on Grange Road West, was the next to close. The shop had been raided twice by police with fake cigarettes, vapes, and popular Labubu toys all found.
In the last week, four other businesses were been closed including one that had been open for less than a month. The Heswall Local Shop opened at the start of 2026 but Merseyside Police had visited the premises on January 6.
This action had been prompted by concerns raised by Cllr Andrew Hodson and two days later, trading standards carried out a £5 test purchase of fake Richmond King Sized cigarettes on January 8.
Cllr Hodson said around six people had contacted him making a number of allegations against the shop which he passed on, adding: “It’s good the council acted quickly and with authority because it sends a message out to anyone who would try to do that sort of thing.”
The authorities paid another visit where 960 illegal cigarettes and 0.4kg of hand-rolled tobacco were found “in an ASDA carrier bag behind the counter.” On February 3, the shop was ultimately told to pay £1,150 in costs to the council.
The Moon Convenience store was also closed(Image: Google Street View)
On the same day in court, the Moon Convenience Store in Wallasey, the Hoylake Mini Market in Moreton, and the Seven Days a Week 3D Store in Wallasey were not allowed to reopen, despite opposition.
At Seven Days, the court heard Scottish Power had already disconnected the electricity due to issues and two test purchases were carried out. A visit was also paid to the shop and dozens of illegal vapes were found along with 1,600 illegal cigarette sticks.
Another visit to the shop found over 2,300 illegal cigarettes, over 8,200 illegal cigarette sticks, and 2.3kg of hand-rolled tobacco. After three seizures at the Hoylake Mini-Market, over 2,500 illegal cigarettes were found alongside hand-rolled tobacco and illegal vapes, some of which were found stored behind a bathroom mirror.
At the Moon Convenience store, a series of visits were carried out following intelligence reports with 1,320 illegal cigarettes seized on one occasion and 90 illegal vapes.
Separate to the closure orders, a multi-agency operation also took place targeting businesses in Liscard, Birkenhead, Pensby and West Kirby. Within these six businesses, roughly 10,500 illegal cigarettes were found and the electricity was shut off for one.
Cllr Graeme Cooper, chair of the council committee overseeing public health, said: “When looking at unregulated sales of vapes and tobacco, it means you do not know what is in there. There’s a risk of potential harmful substances or they do not work as they should do.
“Sometimes the stuff that is being sold is counterfeit and they’re selling something that isn’t what you think it is so you have got no certainty.”
Hoylake Mini Market(Image: Google Street View)
Cllr Cooper said as counterfeit and illegal goods have a lower price, this means they can be more affordable for children, adding: “Keeping young people away from it is absolutely crucial.
“Any business that is selling this type of stuff, they are causing a significant health risk to the communities they operating in and the people they sell stuff to.”
Anyone with any information about crime in their area are being asked to call Merseyside Police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.