Armley: Three Leeds stores hit with closure notices after £80,000 in illegal goods seized
Closure notices have been served to three shops in Armley as part of a continued effort to make Leeds town centres safer.
The closure notices are the result of a joint operation with police officers from the Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team and West Yorkshire Trading Standards in July. The operation saw illicit goods worth more than £80,000 seized.
On September 15, closure notices were handed to Pet Food Shop on Branch Road, Blue Sky on Town Street, and Tatra Sklep on Branch Road.
Kirklees Magistrates’ Court also granted a full premises closure order for Pet Food Shop, which means the store will remain closed until December 15, and for Sky Blue, rendering the store closed until October 22.
The owners of Tatra Sklep contested the closure order application, and a further hearing will be held at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on October 1.
Sergeant Steve Ellis from the Leeds West Neighbourhood Police team said they will keep working with partners to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco and vapes.
He said: “Not only can these cheap, unregulated products cause harm to people’s health, but they also take trade away from legitimate local businesses and can be linked to wider organised criminality.
“The retail sector plays a big part in our Safer Streets work to make our town and city centres safer. I would urge anyone with information about the sale of unlicensed, unregulated products to please report it so that action can be taken.”