A SHOP in Wellington accused of selling vapes to children and where illegal tobacco products were found after a raid by police, trading standards, and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs officers, appeared to be open for business again on Saturday (August 22).

The Danya Store, in High Street, was shut following the raid on June 9, and a magistrates court order was then made on June 11 ordering its closure for three months under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The three months runs out at one minute to midnight on Thursday, September 10.

But, the Danya shop was open again for the first time on Saturday, 19 days before the expiration of the closure order.

'Back in five minutes' says a sign on the front door of Wellington's Danya Store on Saturday.
'Back in five minutes' says a sign on the front door of Wellington's Danya Store on Saturday. (Tindle News)

And, in what could be seen as mocking the authorities, new shop frontage signage carried an image declaring the premises to be a ‘Vape King’.

Although there was nobody to be seen inside the Danya premises, a sign on its front door read: “We will be back in five minutes.”

The Wellington Weekly has reached out to both Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Heart of the South West Trading Standards, whose officers took part in June’s raid, to try to understand why the shop has been able to reopen early.

Although nobody from the business attended the magistrates court hearing where Chief Constable Sarah Crew’s closure application was heard, there was a right of appeal to crown court against the decision.

However, the Wellington Weekly has not seen any such appeal proceedings on the crown court listings which the newspaper receives daily.

During the Danya raid in June, sniffer dog Griff was used to uncover what was described as a sophisticated hydraulic compartment hidden below the shop floor and filled with more than £5,000 of illegal cigarettes and tobaacco.

Danya Store has been issued with an interim anti-social behaviour order after concerns from residents were raised with the Police.
The notice confirming the closure of Wellington’s Danya Store under anti-social behaviour legislation in June. (Tindle News)

Following the Danya closure, Wellington’s MP Gideon Amos called for tougher action agains such illegal trading and raised the issue in Parliament.

Mr Amos said at the time: “We must be clear, criminality on our high streets will not be tolerated.”

He said organised crime gangs had gained ‘far too much of a foothold in our communities’, with local people ‘paying the price’.

Mr Amos said: “Organised crime sits behind and at the top of all this, either employing or, quite often, exploiting migrants as suits their purposes and to do their dirty work.”

He called for stronger powers for police to be able to shut premises quicker and for longer.