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A Wallasey convenience store has been shut down for the second time this year after thousands of illegal cigarettes were found hidden inside a washing machine.
Wallasey Shop on Brighton Street, which is ironically close to Wirral Council's base at Wallasey Town Hall, has been hit with a three-month closure order.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, during a search by Trading Standards and police officers, 2,500 illegal cigarettes and over 1kg of hand-rolling tobacco were discovered stashed inside the washing machine.
The store was already shut down once in April 2026. It reopened after the first closure order expired and a new tenant, Amir Mahmadi took over. However, Trading Standards received further complaints from members of the public that illegal cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco were being sold from the premises.
A test purchase of counterfeit cigarettes was carried out before officers visited the shop. The court deemed that criminal activity had taken place and Mr Mahmadi, the sole owner of the business, was ordered to pay £800 in costs.
Another Wallasey shop - Store 4 You on Wallasey Road has shut its doors. A similar pattern followed, as a test purchase in June resulted in the sale of a counterfeit packet of cigarettes for £5. On 11 September, Trading Standards and police officers carried out an enforcement operation at the premises and the home address of owner Brwa Salam Mohammed.
Officers hit another goldmine - they found over 11,000 illegal cigarettes and 3.5kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco inside a vehicle. Mr Mohammed was also found to be carrying three packets of illegal cigarettes himself when searched by police.
In a search of his home address, police found 22,600 illegal cigarettes and 3kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco were found hidden inside a bed.
The closure orders are the 24th and 25th issued in the borough since December last year.
The neighbouring Liscard Convenience Store closed in August after more illegal sales of vapes and tobacco products were discovered. A district judge said the owner was running a "shoddy ship" and he was ordered to pay £1,500 in costs.
Councillor Jenny Johnson, chair of Wirral Council's tourism, communities, culture and leisure committee, said: "Trading Standards officers and multi-agency partners are continuing to send a clear message that the illegal sale of tobacco and vape products is not permitted. I commend them for the work they are carrying out.
"These cut-price and unregulated products carry additional risks to consumers and are more accessible to underage customers – significantly undermining public health's efforts around tobacco control and cessation.
She also argued that the crimes aren't "victimless", as the public is put at risk through the sale of fake goods, and the sales are often linked with organised crime.
