Stories

Wed, 10 Jun 2026

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 Illegal mini-marts to shut for up to 12 months under law change prompted by BBC

Under current rules, shops breaking the law can only be closed for up to six months in England and Wales.

* Illegal mini-marts, barbers and vape shops could be shut for up to a year under new powers announced by the government.
* The change will double the potential closure time from three months to six months, with an option to extend to one year.
* The new measures follow investigative reporting by BBC News into organised crime on British high streets, which has exposed links to drug gangs, child sexual exploitation, money laundering and immigration crime.
* Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood praised the BBC's reporting, saying that people feel high streets are being taken over by organised crime and immigration criminality.
* The extended closures will give investigators more time to gather evidence, pursue prosecutions and identify business owners, while preventing rogue operators from reopening and resuming illegal activity.
* Trading Standards officers have welcomed the new measures, which they say will make it less financially viable for unscrupulous business owners to sit out closure orders.
* The government plans to lay secondary legislation by the end of this year, with the new powers coming into force in early 2027.