Newcastle-under-Lyme shuts five vape and tobacco shops under Operation Shutter

Three Newcastle-under-Lyme premises were ordered shut on 4 November, bringing to five the number of shops closed in the borough since July for selling illegal vapes and tobacco.

Magistrates granted the closure orders after inspections on 12 October, according to Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Officers seized more than 14,000 illegal cigarettes, 5.5kg of hand-rolling tobacco and nine illegal vapes. At one premises they found illegal tobacco behind a movable wall built to conceal it.

The same day the council announced Operation Shutter, a targeted enforcement programme it will run with Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards team and other partners to identify offending traders and seek closure orders where evidence supports it.

Vape shop closure runs for three months, grocery for six weeks

Only one of the three is a dedicated vape shop; the other two are general retail premises. The vape count in this round was small: nine units against the tobacco volumes. Earlier inspections at the premises had already found illegal products and warnings were issued before the closure applications.

Simba’s Shop and Cobra Vape Shop were shut earlier in the summer

Those two closures, which the council does not date in this announcement, account for the other half of the five since July. The council says its enforcement work will continue under the Operation Shutter name.

Closure orders last up to three months with one possible extension

Current rules allow an initial closure order of up to three months, with a further three-month extension available. Council leader Jonathan Gullis wants that changed: a motion he proposed at Full Council on 30 September, passed unanimously, calls on central government to give magistrates power to close premises permanently where they are repeatedly or seriously linked to criminal activity.

The council’s “Closed for Good” campaign also asks for landlords who repeatedly rent to offending operators to be held accountable. Gullis argued that the present system lets an operator wait out a closure, change the shop’s name and reopen.

Staffordshire County Council cabinet member Anthony Screen framed the joint work as intelligence-led enforcement across local government, Trading Standards and policing. Cabinet member Vanessa Renshaw pointed to the volume of illegal products found and the risk to consumers and young people.

Independent retailers bear the compliance cost of a rule change that has not happened

For suppliers, the practical change so far is local and enforcement-led rather than regulatory: closure orders in one Staffordshire borough, aimed mainly at tobacco concealment, with vapes a small part of the seizure count. Manufacturers and distributors selling into independent retail should expect Trading Standards partnerships to treat premises inspections as the trigger for closure applications, and should keep product records ready for inspection. Any tightening of the closure regime depends on Westminster granting powers the council has only requested, so order planning does not change yet.

The council has not said when it will publish further Operation Shutter results, and the government has not responded to the 30 September motion in the material available.

Questions readers ask

How long can a closure order last in England?

The council states that closure orders can initially last up to three months, with a possible further three-month extension. It is campaigning for powers to close premises permanently.

What did the 12 October inspections find?

Officers seized more than 14,000 illegal cigarettes, 5.5kg of hand-rolling tobacco and nine illegal vapes, and found illegal tobacco hidden behind a movable wall at one premises.