AN off-licence found to have sold illicit tobacco and single cigarettes on multiple occasions has had its licence to serve alcohol revoked.

Sunny News and Off License, on Oxford Street, Oldham, was found to have sold illicit and counterfeit tobacco on six separate occasions between April 2014 and February 2021, along with other cases of selling single cigarettes and selling tobacco products to underage customers.

An application for the shop to lose its licence to serve alcohol was submitted by Oldham Council Trading Standards.

And after the council’s licensing panel met on Tuesday, November 16, they decided to revoke the licence.

The application for the store to lose its license was submitted on the grounds of Prevention of Crime and Disorder, Public Safety and Protection of Children from Harm.

Despite letters being repeatedly sent to the premises between October 2019 to January 2021 notifying them of complaints, no answer was received and the shop continued to sell the illegal products, which were stored under the counter.

Both Riaz Ahmed, the premises licence holder and designated premises supervisor, and Mohammed Alam, a purported owner of the business, were issued multiple warning letters, at least one of which Mr Ahmed is said to have acknowledged and signed in 2014.

Aside from selling counterfeit tobacco products, they are alleged to have split cigarette packets and sold them singly along with selling the products to customers under 18.

According to a recent survey carried out by Trading Standards North West, 14 per cent of 14-17-years-olds in the North West said they had purchased illegal cigarettes within the last 12 months. While 66 per cent of these illegal cigarettes were purchased in shops.

The illegal tobacco products are identifiable as they do not have the registered trade mark issued to tobacco products that can be legally sold in the UK and the writing is not in English.

They also do not contain the standardised packaging of products in the UK, which include warnings and images that aim to discourage people from smoking and encourage people to give up smoking.