Huddersfield shop loses licence after selling alcohol to kids and illegal cigarettes
Kirklees Council has taken action against Dubai Stores in Willow Lane
Last updated 12th Mar 2025
A Huddersfield off-licence caught selling alcohol to children, out of date food products and illegal cigarettes has lost its licence.
Today (March 11), Kirklees Council’s Licensing Panel met to review the premises licence of Dubai Stores at Willow Lane, Hillhouse. This was called for by West Yorkshire Police (WYP), given that the business has failed three test purchases since February last year.
The first test purchase, on February 13, 2024, saw two police cadets of 16 and 17 years of age able to buy alcohol. The business was given a written warning as a result. A second test purchase was carried out on November 13, with WYP Licensing Officer, Richard Woodhead, purchasing illegal, non-duty paid cigarettes.
A final visit took place between WYP and Trading Standards on January 15, 2025, where 12 packs of illicit cigarettes and two pouches of tobacco were found hanging in a plastic bag behind the counter. Twenty-one illegal vapes and 147 pouches of shisha tobacco were also on the premises – all of which were confiscated.
Trading Standards Illicit Tobacco Officer, Jason Bethell, said that “all three types of criminal products” had been found in the bag behind the counter – cigarettes made purely for the illegal market, genuine products that had been smuggled from Turkey and counterfeit hand rolling tobacco made in an illicit factory.
He added: “It’s run, this trade – you can see from all over the world – by international criminal gangs, that is the scale of it. As soon as you buy these products from these gangs and bring them into your store and start selling them, you become part of this criminal network. It’s basically global crime.”
However, the licence holder, Laz Karim, was adamant that the confiscated cigarettes were not his, belonging to somebody else who had planned to pick them up later on, as his spokesperson, Mr Abdullah, explained. He said that, had Mr Karim intended to sell illegal cigarettes, it would be silly to have them in plain sight and it wouldn’t make sense to only have 12 packets.
However, WYP Licensing Officer, Richard Woodhead, pointed out that he had been able to buy illegal cigarettes prior to this occasion, when a test purchase had been carried out in November. He also explained that businesses involved in such activities do not keep a large quantity on the premises to avoid the entire stash being confiscated, but often keep it off-site, in a car, for example.
On the matter of alcohol being sold to children, the meeting heard that the cashier working on the day had mistook the alcohol for a soft drink, with this not having happened since. The spokesperson also said that Mr Karim had not been aware that the vapes were illegal and that these are no longer sold.
During WYP and Trading Standards’ visit a “large quantity” of out of date food products had also been found on sale at the premises, including baby milk that expired on March 13, 2024. On top of this, a cashier working at the store told WYP she receives £55 cash in hand for an eight hour shift – £6.87 per hour – which is against employment law.
At the meeting, the licence holder put the out of date baby milk down to an error on the part of the supplier. His spokesperson also said that the shop worker does not earn £55 for an eight hour shift, but that she had panicked when questioned by police.
Setting out the importance of today’s decision, WYP’s Mr Woodhead said: “I would like to remind the panel that the decision you reach today will send a strong message out to all other businesses across Kirklees. If you decide to revoke then it shows that Kirklees will not tolerate illegal activities taking place in licensed premises.
“It also sends a powerful message to the people of Kirklees that their health is of great consideration. A lot of illegal tobacco products are mixed with products that are extremely detrimental to a person’s health.
“However, if the panel fails to remove the premises licence for this business, the message is that it is alright to sell illegal tobacco.”
After some deliberation, Chair of the panel, Cllr Eric Firth (Labour, Dewsbury East), said: “The panel has decided to revoke the licence. The reasons for the panel’s decision are that the licence holder has had no regard to the licensing objectives in respect of public safety, prevention of crime and disorder and the prevention of children from harm.”
With this decision, the off-licence can still operate but no longer sell alcohol.