Three month closure order granted against second Hereford City shop

A three month emergency closure order has been granted against International Food at 10 Commercial Road, Hereford.

A contested hearing was held on Monday at Hereford Magistrates’ Court due to the persistent sale of illegal tobacco at the store.

Hereford Magistrates’ Court granted the closure order following West Mercia Police serving the premises with a 48 hour closure notice on Monday 8 October under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The court heard that International Food had persistently sold illegal tobacco for the last eight years despite numerous raids and prosecutions.

This closure order follows a notice granted against Zabka on Eign Gate, Hereford last week. Only a handful of police forces and local authorities have used this new power, which was considered appropriate and proportionate due to the persistent disregard to previous regulatory action. Breaching a closure order is a criminal offence, and anyone that attempts to access the address could be arrested.

The closure order follows a Multi Agency Targeted Enforcement Strategy (MATES) operation on International Food in early October.

On this occasion, officers from Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards and Environmental Health service, West Mercia Police and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service seized 12,500 cigarettes and 9kg of hand rolling tobacco, as well as a significant amount of out-of-date food from the shelves of the store.