Cleethorpes summit held on tackling illegal tobacco and vape sales
It was held by North East Lincolnshire Council
Last updated 3rd Jul 2026
A summit held by North East Lincolnshire Council on tackling illegal tobacco and vape sales in the borough has been described as “extremely productive” by the council leader. The local authority held the summit meeting at Cleethorpes Town Hall, on Wednesday, July 1.
Attendees included Humberside Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the regional illegal tobacco officer, as well as council planning, licensing, Trading Standards, anti-social behaviour, legal and public health officers. Council leader Cllr Oliver Freeston (Reform UK – Croft Baker Ward) said it was “an extremely productive meeting” in both understanding the challenges and opportunities, and looking at what more can be done.
The summit comes as Melanie Onn MP (Labour – Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes) has continued her own pressing of the issue of dodgy shops, arguing the masking of serious organised crime by the likes of some vape shops, barber shops and mini-marts “has been a decades-long failure in regulation”. She co-launched last year in Parliament a campaign to ‘Shut Down Dodgy Shops’.
‘I am determined that we will do all we can together’
Cllr Freeston stated in opening the summit that he wanted to look at “how we can work together and see what measurable and tangible differences we can make”. Issues raised included the need to ensure outlets cannot be closed down, to simply open again and resume illegal activity.
The Government is set to extend the length of time shops found engaging in illegal trade can be closed down for, known as closure orders, from effectively three months to 12. The meeting concluded a fuller understanding was needed on the detail and how new powers would and could be actioned.
Opportunities for more action were talked about too, like how planning regulations could be tightened nationally to provide councils with more powers to prevent certain retail outlets opening. Also, how more evidence of illegal sales and anti-social behaviour can be gathered, which is key for closure orders to be made.
Cllr Freeston said: “I am determined that we will do all we can together to try and fight against this illegal and immoral trade in products – which may be sold to, or end up, in the hands of children and young people.” In the meantime, Trading Standards, with the support of police, will continue working with colleagues and partners to ensure as much as possible is done to deter illegal sales and associated criminal activity.
Unlawful shop fronts ‘tearing down legitimate businesses’
Ms Onn was part of a cross-party group of MPs who met with the Government Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle at the Home Office on July 1 to discuss organised crime gangs and links to shop fronts. The day before, she also participated in two parliamentary debates concerning high street renewal and removing unlawful shopfronts.
On her meeting with the minister, she stated in a video on social media, “It was really welcome to hear that the new funding that the Government has brought forward is now being rolled out, so local police forces and local authorities can apply to that to support their Trading Standards and enforcement actions directly on the high streets.”
In both high street-focused parliamentary debates, she raised the matter of unlawful shop fronts. Ms Onn questioned how, given unlawful shop fronts “are tearing down legitimate businesses and making things so difficult for them”, was it not time for a central agency to take responsibility for tackling the issue, suggesting “maybe under the guise of something like the national retail police?”
She also described the masking of serious organised crime by shop fronts like some vape shops as “a decades-long failure in regulation. The cracks between which the issues fall, between different agencies, is immense,” she said.
Junior housing, communities and local government minister Nesil Caliskan said the Government was determined to tackle unlawful activity that undermines high streets and support regeneration and renewal. She highlighted a Government announcement of £30m investment over three years to target unlawful businesses and “crack down on the corrupt networks operating on our high streets. A sum of £20 million to strengthen national co-ordination and local enforcement will make a difference, which we are seeing already, with hundreds of so-called businesses conducting illegal activity targeted.”