A Northampton convenience store is at risk of losing its licence after police found illicit tobacco on site and accused the shop of selling alcohol to an underage girl.

JBS Daily, 11 Bradshaw Street, now faces a premises licence review from West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) on Tuesday, October 28.

The review was called by Northamptonshire Police after trading standards officers found thousands of pounds of illicit tobacco and vapes, and officers allege that alcohol had been sold on the premises to a teenager, without proper identification checks.

In July, on a routine inspection, officers found 334 illegal vapes, 69 packets of cigarettes and 6 packets of hand rolling tobacco hidden in a rucksack under the counter and a box located at the back of the store.

JBS Daily is located on 11 Bradshaw Street, opposite the North Gate Bus Station

placeholder image — JBS Daily is located on 11 Bradshaw Street, opposite the North Gate Bus Station

Documents submitted by Northamptonshire Police state that the staff member present said that the money taken for illicit tobacco products and illegal vapes was not put through the till. It was suspected that some of the products were counterfeit copies of legitimate products.

The report explained: “Cheap tobacco products with foreign language labelling also undermines work to reduce health inequalities, it also puts them in the price bracket of persons under the age of 18 as they are commonly sold at less than half price.

“Selling such goods undermines fair competition and often results in complaints from legitimate traders who are complying with the law, this is additional to being a criminal offence.”

A further incident, on September 22, was noted involving the sale of products to a 17-year-old girl.

In a witness statement, a Northamptonshire Police officer wrote: “I attended the shop for an unrelated incident and was made aware by the reporting person that the shop had sold the suspect and a friend of the suspect alcohol.

“I know that both these individuals are 17 years old, and therefore under the age legally allowed to purchase alcohol. I know this due to them being frequent missing children that we come into contact with.

“After the incident, I was provided with CCTV by the shop owner, and within the CCTV the girls are clearly served alcohol, namely I believe a bottle of MAGNUM alcohol.

“The shopkeeper does not ask for any identification, and the girls are allowed to purchase the alcohol with cash, therefore facilitating the sale of alcohol to minors.”