Six shops in Boston, two in Spalding and one shop in Holbeach have been issued with three-month closure orders by Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.
Last week, officers visited premises where illegal tobacco and vape products were sold. Court orders were then granted under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, at:
- Nasza Biedronka, Spalding
- Easy Shop, Spalding
- Holbeach Market, High Street, Holbeach
- The Fruit Shop, Biedronka, and Mini Market all on the High Street in Boston
- Kubus on Red Lion Street in Boston
- Europa on Fydell Street in Boston
- Balkans Mini Market on West Street in Boston
One of the closures in Boston resulted in police having a foot chase after a man ran from the rear of a premises. He was captured with assistance from the town CCTV system.
Andy Wright, Principal Trading Standards Officer said: “The shop closures in Boston come after three similar closures in Spalding earlier this week. The closures were granted on the basis of criminal activity taking place on the premises. We’ve been working closely on this with Police, Community Cohesion, and Immigration Officers both in Boston and Spalding.
“The closures are as a direct response to concerns expressed by members of the public through the Police ‘Streetsafe’ initiative. Streetsafe allows members of the public to anonymously report areas in which they feel unsafe or vulnerable. I don’t think it is a coincidence that many of the illegal businesses forcibly closed are to be found within those areas.”
“It is our intention to ensure that future investment in these towns is made on the foundations of a law-abiding business community. We fully intend to step up actions over the next year.”
PC Amy Thorley from Lincolnshire Police said: “Illegal trading is only part of the problem which is often linked to other criminality across Lincolnshire and other force areas.
“We are aware that it is an identified problem, and one that we are committed to dealing with, through the use of closure orders and other legislation.
“We have a good working relationship with Trading Standards and have been working closely with them on this issue for some time. We intend to continue this work and will involve other suitable agencies to assist.”
