Page Hall shop which sold fake vodka and cigarettes has alcohol licence stripped

A Sheffield shop which sold fake vodka and cigarettes can no longer sell alcohol following a Trading Standards investigation.
Double Diamond on Page Hall RoadDouble Diamond on Page Hall Road
Double Diamond on Page Hall Road

Double Diamond, in Page Hall Road, was found to be selling illicit goods, which hadn’t had duty paid and were lacking the correct labels.

Trading Standards even tried to work with the shop to bring it back within the law but after a random spot check, illegal items were discovered.

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Members of Sheffield Council's licensing sub-committee on Thursday decided to revoke the licence of the shop’s licence holder and designated premises supervisor, Sherko Mohammed. This means that the shop will now be banned from selling alcohol, following a 21-day appeal period.

Councillors heard, Trading Standards officers evidence of the storage and supply of smuggled, illicit tobacco products at the premises in Page Hall.

This licensing review was raised following intervention by Trading Standards, Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board and South Yorkshire Police's licensing team.

Councillor Bryan Lodge, cabinet member for the environment at Sheffield City Council, said: “Each and every day our Trading Standards officers and others, both at the council and in partner agencies, work hard to keep the people of Sheffield safe from harm.

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“I am pleased that, for the second time in a week, action has been taken to prevent illicit alcohol and cigarettes being sold in the city.

“I also hope that this decision sends a strong message to other business owners who think that they can get away with selling illicit cigarettes and alcohol. We can and will take action, and you could lose your alcohol licence.”

The loss of tax revenue from smuggled cigarettes and tobacco costs the UK economy between £2bn and £3bn each year. This is money that otherwise could be spent on public services.

Fake alcohol and cigarettes also have none of the quality control measures put in place by the manufacturers of the genuine product and are likely to be far more dangerous to health.

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As such products don’t have duty paid on them, they can also be sold at dramatically lower prices, making them more affordable to children.

Members of the public who have concerns about shops operating outside of the law should call Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 040506.

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