Locals in Dereham have branded a shop the police had shut down in a landmark case as "irredeemable".
The Green Shop in Norwich Street was issued a three-month closure order at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Monday - the first time in Norfolk's history such an order has been given to a business for selling illegal vapes.
Trading Standards and police officers paid four visits to the shop over a seven-month period, seizing thousands of items including illegal vapes, tobacco, cigarettes, NOS (Nitrous Oxide Substance) canisters, THC rolls and very strong alcohol, while it did not hold a licence to sell any alcohol at all. Police told the court vapes had been sold to children as young as 11.
Many people passing by the shop stopped to read the police notice on the front door.
Annette King, 77, from Watton, said: “If it sold vapes to children, I am of the opinion that it should definitely be closed down.
"We do not want something like this in Dereham. But, I am a non-smoker, so I may be biased.”
Clive King, 79, from Watton, said: “I do not think it is for children to vape.
"They are going down the wrong avenue and it leads to a lifetime of smoking. Dereham is better off with this shop shut. I have no sympathy for them.”
Officers seized a number of class-C drugs when they visited the shop on October 12, and then arrested a man in his 20s before he was released on bail.
Another time, officers found a large compartment concealed under the floor, filled with illegal products.
Samantha Strickland, 50, from Dereham, said: “I would like to see it reopen if it goes legit, but if it is selling things to under-aged kids then no.
"It is irredeemable in my eyes, I will now use other businesses to buy vapes and I do not think I would go back, out of principle, because of selling to under-aged kids.”
Alfie Holland, 19, from Dereham, said: “I do think they should be IDing people. If they had done that in the first place, I do not think they would be closed. I used the shop to buy vapes to help me quit smoking.”
Police had also got a lot of reports of nuisance behaviour outside the shop including litter and anti-social behaviour. Officers were told how shopkeepers and locals had been intimidated by people's behaviour outside the shop, which was having a "huge impact" on the community.
Jackie Rose is a volunteer at Adventure Farm charity shop, just across the road from The Green Shop. She said: “I get here by 8am and [The Green Shop] is open and a lot of school kids are in uniform outside.
“We’ve also had a problem with loud music coming from the shop. They swore at a member of staff who went over to complain about the loud music.
“Even this morning, I saw kids reading the notice.
“I cannot speak for everyone, but I would not like to see it reopen.”
Alison Dobbs, store manager at Blaines electrical, said: “Walking past at school time you see children opening their vapes, and there was a lot of rubbish on the street. We have seen the police at the shop three or four times.
“It is not good for the street or the town, but the lad who ran the shop was very pleasant.
“It's not good for the town to have an empty shop, what will happen in three months? It's tough to say my overall thoughts, you cannot have youngsters buying vapes, but now Dereham has another closed shop.”
PC Natalie Cooper from the Breckland Operational Partnership Team said: “By getting this closure order granted we are able to give some respite to people living in Dereham.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here