Spalding and Boston shops are shut for selling illegal cigarettes and vapes

Four shops will remain shut as part of the police crack down on illegal tobacco and vapes.

Police and Lincolnshire Trading Standards have successfully applied for four closure order extensions for Spalding on Friday last week while they have also been granted orders for three stores in Boston.

Officers discovered a ‘significant’ amount of illegal cigarettes and vapes during a search of a vehicle in Crowland along with ten bin bags worth of cigarettes from Baltic on Winsover Road, Spalding.

Insp Matt Dickinson, of South Holland Police, has praised the intelligence work undertaken by Lincolnshire Police’s Response, Neighbourhoods Policing and Legal Services teams in this latest stage of the clamp down on illegal cigarettes and vapes.

He said: “This was an excellent example of how our teams are collaborating effectively behind the scenes day in, day out, to collate the vital evidence required to provide to our Trading Standards colleagues with the evidence they need to be able to bring these cases to before the courts.

“We are determined to do everything in our power to facilitate their arduous task however we can.”

Previous closure orders for the following shops have been extended by a further three months following a hearing on Friday last week:

- Spalding European Foodstore, 21 Winsover Road, Spalding

- Uk Maramures Express, 24 Commercial Road, Spalding

- Warsaw, 29 Winsover Road, Spalding

- Baltic, unit, 3,4 5 and 10, 14-16 Winsover Road, Spalding

Also on Friday, we searched a vehicle on North Street, Crowland, and seized a significant amount of illegal vapes and cigarettes.

In the afternoon, we recovered a large amount of cigarettes, enough to fill ten large clear bin bags, from Baltic on Winsover Road, Spalding

Three men were seen carrying boxes and bags out of the back of the store to an abandoned car parked behind the premises.

One of the men were detained, two other men made off, one of whom jumped over a fence and tried to hide a large bag of contraband, but this was later recovered by officers.

A significant amount of vapes and cigarettes was later recovered from the abandoned vehicle and shop also.

The case has now been handed over to Lincolnshire Trading Standards to investigate as they are agency with primacy to deal with illegal trading in the county.

Closure orders have been secured for three sites in Boston yesterday (Wednesday, May 15) on the grounds that occupants have engaged in crime and anti-social behaviour.

These shopes are to be closed immediately and remain closed for three months:

- Bode, 92 High Street, Boston

- Buy4less, 72 Main Ridge, Boston

- World of Fruit & Veg, 143 Windsor Bank, Boston

Insp Ian Cotton, of Boston, said: “We continue to support Trading Standards in tackling this illegal activity. We would encourage people to continue to report suspicious activity around these shops while they remain closed.

“If anyone is seen within the shops please contact Boston Police, or get in touch via the details below”.

If you have any information on shops that might be selling illegal tobacco or vapes or selling to minors, please get in touch with police by calling 101 or report anonymously via CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.

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