Closure order extended at Moreton Convenience Store
A closure order against a Wirral convenience store whose owner had gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal their illegal activities has been extended for a further three months.
Moreton Convenience Store on Upton Road in Moreton will now be closed to the public until at least October 1st 2026 after magistrates in Wirral agreed with the application from Wirral Trading Standards that the operation of the business posed an ongoing risk of public nuisance and criminality taking place.
This decision was based on the evidence of illegal activities recorded at the premises over a number of years and also due to the fact that the landlords of the premises had taken no steps in the three months since the original closure order was granted in April to remove the proprietor of the business, Zana Mohammed Khalla, and retake possession of their property.
The application for an extension was not contested by the tenant Mr Khalla, nor the landlords concerned, Anthony Criss and Haywood Milton. In addition to agreeing the three-month extension of the closure order, the court also ordered that the landlords were liable for costs of £1,287.
The original three-month closure order was imposed on April 1st and followed a determined investigation by officers from Wirral Trading Standards, supported by officers from Merseyside Police, who had recorded offending at the store from as long ago as 2021.
Such was the determination of the business owners to trade illegally at this shop that, during the latest inspection in March 2026, officers even discovered a remote-controlled storage space hidden within a large light-fitting in the shop’s storeroom.
In this concealed space were more than 4,500 illegal cigarettes and 2.3kg of hand-rolling tobacco. During the same inspection, officers found a discarded holdall in the car park used by shop staff containing a further 3,400 contraband cigarettes and more than 3kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco, matching the items found within the hidden part of the shop.
This case attracted a lot of attention back in April due to the way the proprietor had attempted to hide the illegal items he was selling to members of the public.
As part of the application for an extension to the closure order, it is significant that the courts agreed that the owners of the premises have a responsibility to ensure that if their tenants are found to be conducting illegal activities at their property, they have a responsibility to take action too. They cannot turn a blind eye to this. We are, once more, indebted to the hard work undertaken by Wirral Trading Standards officers and the police. Such criminal activity is not welcome here.
Landlords may also be committing an offence under money laundering legislation if they knowingly allow their tenants to trade in illegal tobacco products and continue to take rental payments derived from the proceeds of such sales.
This is the fourth extension of a closure order obtained by Wirral Trading Standards and is in addition to the 19 closure orders granted in recent months.
Anyone with information or intelligence about illegal activity can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
