We have taken direct action to close a city centre shop found selling cigarettes and vapes to underage children.
Earlier today, 12 November 2025, Euro Mini Market on St John Street was raided by our Environmental Health officers in a joint operation with Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards officers and Staffordshire Police. They seized a large quantity of vapes, cigarettes and tobacco including four full suitcases that were hidden in an outbuilding and found using the Council’s drone.
We issued the Closure Notice under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The shop will remain closed for 48 hours while we consider an application to the magistrates’ court for a Closure Order of up to three months.
Following the latest raid, Councillor Richard Cox, Cabinet Member for Community and Public Protection, said:
“Selling harmful or illegal products is completely unacceptable, even more so when they are being sold to children. Our officers work tirelessly to protect people and uphold the law, and we’ll continue to take robust action against any business found to be breaking it.
“This kind of activity not only puts health at risk but also undermines legitimate local businesses. I hope this closure sends a clear message that we will not tolerate this behaviour in Lichfield District.”
Euro Mini Market has a history of being used to facilitate crime, including the sale of cigarettes and vapes to children. The shop has been raided several times in the recent past, and on one occasion in October 2024 a total of 16,140 cigarettes, 5.3KG of hand rolling tobacco and 1,165 disposable vapes were seized. Some of it had been deliberately concealed within the building and had to be found by a search dog. Some of the products were found to be harmful, or were counterfeit and the contents unknown, or they had been smuggled into the UK without any tax being paid.
A shop on the same row, Dylan Convenience Store, has also closed. It had also been raided by Environmental Health and Trading Standards which resulted in products being seized, including food and drink that is known to be harmful and cannot be sold in the UK, which led to the landlord evicting them.
Cllr Cox added:
“Landlords need to be extremely vigilant as to who they rent shops out to. If they receive rent from a shop involved in crime, the landlord could be investigated under the Proceeds of Crime Act and the money confiscated.”