A Barrow shop has been ordered to close for a further three months after continued criminal activity was uncovered.
Easy Shop, operated by Gurga Vape Shop Ltd, on Church Street, has been given the three-month court order made under anti-social behaviour legislation.
It was issued a closure order in October but police and officers from Westmorland and Furness Trading Standards found that it was still involved in the supply and storage of illegal tobacco and vaping products.
The original closure order was granted at Barrow Magistrates’ Court on Monday October 20.
Just three days after the court heard evidence of serious offences linked to the premises dating back to July 2024 when Trading Standards officers seized 6,800 illegal cigarettes, 4.85kg of hand-rolling tobacco and nearly 200 vapes with an estimated street value of £28,000, Cumbria police recovered a further consignment of tobacco and vapes from a vehicle registered to the owner, Barham Kaikaws.
Trading Standards officers confirmed that products were illegal and some of the vapes seized were disposable products, which have been banned in the UK since June 1 2025.
Intelligence also suggested that an associate of the offender was storing illegal tobacco at their address.
Police checks confirmed that the associate was insured to drive the vehicle involved in the seizure, establishing a direct link to the illegal goods and were subsequently arrested for tobacco offences.
A raid was carried out and officers discovered multiple boxes of tobacco and vapes totalling over 100,000 cigarettes..
On October 30 2025, an ISO storage container was raided and found to contain paperwork and a storage rental agreement in the name of Barham Kaikaws.
Inside the unit, officers discovered a large quantity of suspected illicit or counterfeit cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco and vapes.
Due to the evidence of persistent criminal activity gathered by the council’s Trading Standards team and Cumbria Police, the closure order has been successfully extended to protect the local community and prevent further harm.
Sergeant Paul Holmes, of Barrow Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This premises has shown a clear disregard of the laws around counterfeit goods and the closure order previously imposed on them in October 2025.
“I hope the extension of this closure order shows the lengths our partners and ourselves will go to remove counterfeit goods from our stores and our communities.
“These operations not only pose serious safety concerns to consumers, they undermine legitimate business and often exploit vulnerable individuals and fund other organised crime which can have a devastating effect on the community.
“I would encourage anyone that knows of someone involved in selling illegal tobacco or other counterfeit precuts to get in touch so that we, alongside our partners in Trading Standards, can continue to remove these products from the streets.”
