A shop in Little Hulton that was the subject of 31 complaints from members of the public will be closed for three months following the seizure of illegal cigarettes and tobacco.
Walkden Mini Market, on Manchester Road East in Little Hulton, was served with a closure order by Salford City Council on Monday March 2. The order was granted at the Manchester Magistrates’ Court and will remain in place until May at the earliest.
The decision follows a series of inspections by the council’s Trading Standards and Environmental Protection teams. Since February 2024, officers have carried out three separate seizures at the premises after repeated complaints from members of the public.
In total, 6,700 cigarettes, 57 packs of hand rolling tobacco and 84 vapes were removed. Officers discovered hidden compartments inside the shop during two inspections, including one concealed at the back of the shop above the exit door.
The court heard that previous enforcement activity had failed to stop the sale of illegal tobacco products. Judge Hogarth said that a closure order was potentially the only way of preventing the behaviour from continuing at the premises.
Councillor Barbara Bentham, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Community Safety at Salford City Council, said the shop had ignored multiple warnings.
She said: “By securing this Closure Order, we are sending a strong message that this behaviour will not be tolerated and legal action will be taken.”
The council said a total of 31 complaints were made about the shop prior to the order being granted. Police had carried out five successful test purchases of illegal cigarettes.
A shop on Station Road in Swinton was shut under a similar closure order in late 2024 after repeated illicit tobacco seizures.
Gillian McLauchlan, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing at Salford City Council, said reducing the availability of illegal tobacco is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to reduce smoking rates and to protect young people from harmful products.
