Northampton store's licence suspended after selling illicit cigarettes and booze to undercover police officer

A Northampton shop has had its licence suspended after undercover police caught staff selling cigarettes and booze illegally.

Officers also discovered illegal workers during a series of visits to the Monopol convenience store in Barrack Road.

One of the staff behind the counter even told the 'customer' he shouldn't be selling alcohol at that time!

Licensing Sergeant Simon Moreton, said: “Licences are put in place for a reason and when the conditions of a licence are breached, it’s important for us to act as there will be a lot of underlying issues that need to be addressed.

“Perhaps the most important aspect of this work is the safeguarding of vulnerable people.

"Illegal workers are often treated poorly – they have no rights, no access to basic things like sick pay, and do not have anyone to turn if they are unhappy.

“By exposing these issues within a business allows us to tackle them head on to ensure they don’t continue."

Officers were able to buy 20 cigarettes for £5 on a visit to the store in October 2020 but later confirmed no UK tax had been paid.

Two further test purchases were made in November and December with the same outcome.

A fourth test purchase late one evening in December saw the same officer able to buy cigarettes again, as well as alcohol outside the hours when the shop was permitted to sell it.

Sgt Moreton added: "At the time of the purchase, the sales assistant even made a comment that he shouldn’t be selling the alcohol at the time."

Later that month, police and staff from HMRC entered the premises and seized cigarettes that were in the store.

The shop's licence was suspended for three months at a hearing last month to allow measures to be put in place that will ensure they abide by the conditions of their licence in the future.