Illegal mini-marts, barbers and vape shops could be shut for up to a year under new powers announced by the UK government, following lengthy investigative reporting by BBC News into organised crime on British high streets.
The investigations have exposed drug gangs, child sexual exploitation, money laundering and immigration crime linked to shops selling illegal cigarettes, vapes and drugs.
As the law stands in England and Wales, authorities can only close a shop for three months, with an option to extend closure to six months using anti-social behaviour legislation. The government’s planned change will double the potential closure time.
Making the announcement, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood praised the BBC’s reporting, saying that people felt high streets were being taken over by "organised crime [and] immigration criminality". The government was "not prepared to tolerate it", she said.
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