A convenience store in Haslingden has been temporarily shut by police following the discovery of illegal cigarettes and other tobacco products worth £30,000.
Lancashire Police confirmed that a three-month closure order has been imposed on the European Mini Market on Manchester Road. The action comes after a 12-month operation during which officers seized cigarettes, tobacco, and vapes from the premises.
Sgt Paul Marsden said the force is committed to “tackling illegal trading” and hopes the closure sends “a strong message that this kind of activity will not be tolerated.” The closure order effectively prohibits access to the property for its three-month term.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns over illicit tobacco trade, though recent government data suggests progress in reducing its scale. HMRC’s latest assessment shows that the duty gap—the amount of tax lost to the illicit tobacco market—remains at 13.8% of theoretical duty liabilities, equivalent to £1.4 billion in lost duty plus an additional £400 million in VAT.
This represents a stabilisation of the illicit tobacco market between 2022/23 and 2023/24, contradicting industry claims that regulation and tax increases are driving rapid growth. Previous estimates by the tobacco industry suggested the market could be as high as £4.5 billion, a figure not supported by independent analysis.
According to HMRC, the illicit market for hand-rolled tobacco has fallen from 60.8% in 2006/07 to 22.9% in 2023/24, while the illicit cigarette market has decreased from 16.9% in 2005/06 to 10.5% in 2023/24. The slight increase in the share of illicit cigarettes in 23/24 (from 9.1% in 22/23) reflects a smaller overall market for cigarettes rather than a rise in illegal supply, with the volume of illicit tobacco remaining steady at around two billion cigarettes.
Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive of ASH, commented on the findings: “The progress the UK has made across the last few decades in reducing the size of the illicit market has been impressive and must be maintained. Well-worn tobacco industry arguments that regulations or taxes will explode the illicit market must be taken for what they are – the desperate attempts of a dying industry to prolong its existence.”
Dr Allen Gallagher, Research Fellow at the University of Bath, added: “Availability of independent data on illicit tobacco trade, such as HMRC’s tax gap analysis, is a key component to accurately understanding the problem. These new figures show that the UK’s illicit tobacco trade has remained relatively stable in recent years, serving as evidence that industry claims of a booming illicit market are unfounded. Nonetheless, the persistence of the problem over time demonstrates that there is still work to do to reduce the practice and the many harms associated with it.”
The temporary closure of the European Mini Market is part of a wider enforcement strategy to tackle illegal tobacco sales across the UK. Authorities say that strong policing, combined with accurate market monitoring and effective regulation, remains crucial to curbing the trade and protecting public health.
