More action taken against shops for illegal trading
A 28th retail business has been hit with a three-month closure order after illegal tobacco products were discovered hidden inside a microwave – while another premises has had its closure order extended.
Everpool Shop and Vape on Liscard Way, Wallasey, has had its doors shut after Wirral Magistrates’ Court ruled that an immediate closure was necessary to ‘stop the public nuisance and criminality associated with the premises’.
Meanwhile, Liscard Convenience on 218 Liscard Road, Wallasey has had its closure order extended by a further three months after an initial three-month period.
Shortly after opening earlier this year, Merseyside Police visited Everpool Shop and Vape on 25 February and seized 1,720 illegal cigarettes and 0.75kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco. The products were hidden in a cupboard, inside a microwave and a bag stored in the stockroom.
Wirral Council Trading Standards then carried out additional visits to the premises. Whilst no illegal tobacco products were found during these inspections, the sale of illegal foodstuffs, and an absence of mandatory business names and age-restricted sales notices were identified.
Following the receipt of further complaints and intelligence reports, a test purchase of counterfeit cigarettes was made at the premises in both June and October, resulting in service of a closure notice and an application to the courts for a three-month closure order.
Neither Ahmad Husseni, sole director of the company, or a representative of the landlord Azuo Property Limited attended the hearing.
The maximum three-month closure order is the 28th secured by the council’s Trading Standards and Legal Services teams since December 2025. The closure order application was supported by Merseyside Police.
This is yet another clear example of the robust action we are taking to stamp out the illegal sale of tobacco products and vapes.
On average, the council has secured more than one closure order a fortnight over the past 10 months. I commend everyone involved as we continue to work closely with our multi-agency partners.
We remain determined to shut down these illegal activities, which are often linked to organised crime and undermine efforts to improve public health and reduce smoking-related harm.
Liscard Convenience has had its closure order extended by a further three months by
Wirral Magistrates’ Court after hearing that the landlord, DCD Investments Limited, did not take any action to end the lease held by tenant Hiwa Karimi during the first three-month closure period.
Therefore, an extension was granted to prevent the nuisance and criminality associated with Karimi’s use of the premises from continuing trading.
