Tranmere Convenience Store on Borough Road, Birkenhead, has been issued with a three-month closure order after almost 10,000 illegal cigarettes and unlicensed alcohol were discovered.
The closure order was secured under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 by Wirral trading standards and the council’s legal services team, working with Merseyside Police.
Seizure and findings
A search warrant for an address linked to the store led to the seizure of 9,440 illegal cigarettes and 2.95kg of hand-rolling tobacco. When officers served the closure notice, they found four bottles of alcohol behind the counter despite the premises not holding an alcohol licence.
An illegal packet of cigarettes was also discovered, along with pre-packed food products that did not have the required UK labelling. Officers also found the business was not displaying the required A3 tobacco age restriction notice or business name notice.
Court action and impact
The illicit products seized had an estimated street value of £3,717 and a potential retail value of £10,679. Wirral Magistrates’ Court concluded that nuisance and criminality had occurred at the premises in connection with the supply of illegal tobacco products.
The court imposed the maximum permitted three-month closure order, explaining it was necessary to prevent the identified nuisance and criminality from continuing or recurring at the premises. Trading standards is now talking with the landlord regarding the removal of the tenant.
The action represents the 26th closure order secured in the Wirral since the council first used these legislative powers in December 2025.
