Licensing Review Looms for Store Accused of Selling Illegal Tobacco...
- teessidetoday
- Mar 7
- 3 min read
Decision day looms for a Hartlepool Shop accused of selling illegal tobacco, as the councils licensing committee is set to decide its future....
7th March 2025
A Hartlepool Shop accused of selling illegal Tobacco is set to learn whether it will have its licence suspended after a Trading Standards investigation led to the stores premises licence being reviewed by town councillors.
On Thursday, 13th March 2025, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee will meet at the Civic Centre to decide the fate of Belle Vue Booze, a convenience store located at Sydenham Road, Hartlepool. The store, operated by Belle Vue Booze Ltd by Mr. Hadi Azagh, faces a review of its premises licence following allegations from the councils Trading Standards team that the store is undermining one of the Licensing Act’s core objectives, that being the prevention of crime and disorder, where its claimed the primary issues are said to revolve around sale of illegal tobacco and repeated breaches of the premises licence conditions, including the sale of high-strength alcohol in single cans.
The troubles said to have began back in February 2023, when its claimed Trading Standards first received intelligence suggesting that counterfeit cigarettes were being sold from the premises. This sparked a series of investigations, test purchases, and inspections, with evidence mounting over time, with Trading Standards reporting that in August 2023 a test purchase confirmed the sale of counterfeit Lambert & Butler Silver cigarettes in non-standardised packaging., with an inspection later that day uncovering more illegal tobacco—including counterfeit Lambert & Butler, Manchester Reds, and JPS Red Superkings—alongside single cans of high-strength lager and cider, which contravenes the premises licence.
The old "Man with the Van" excuse !......
Mr. Azagh, the Designated Premises Supervisor, reportedly received a formal warning from Hartlepool Borough Council after claiming at interview that the illicit goods came from a “man in a van” . In October 2024: its claimed further intelligence then prompted Trading Standards to undertake additional test purchases at the shop, with counterfeit cigarettes reportedly being sold again on the 19th October and 25th October. Inspections also claimed to have revealed ongoing breaches involving high-strength alcohol sales, despite prior warnings being given that the sales of such items breached the licensing conditions of the store.
Mr. Azagh, was then reportedly interviewed under Caution back in December 2024, attributing some of the issues to "misunderstandings" and claiming "he was out of the country during the incidents", & "unsure of who was managing the store." at the time...
Supporting statements from Cleveland Police and Hartlepool Borough Councils Public Health Department are said to have bolstered the case, highlighting the broader implications of illicit tobacco sales (linked to organised crime) and the public health risks posed by cheap, unregulated products and excessive alcohol availability.
What Does the stores licence actually Allow?
Belle Vue Booze holds a premises licence (HART/PS/575) granted on 25th August 2023, permitting the off-sale of alcohol from 10:00 to 22:00 daily. The licence however is said to come with strict conditions, including a ban on selling single cans of beer, lager, or cider, and a prohibition on products with an ABV of 6.5% or higher. It also mandates the use of a working CCTV system, staff training, and incident logs—conditions the store has allegedly failed to uphold consistently.
What Could Happen at the Hearing next week?
The Licensing Sub-Committee—is set to meet next week to hear from all parties involved, including Trading Standards, Mr. Azagh himself, and other interested parties such as Cleveland Police and Hartlepool Borough Councils Public Health Department, with councillors being able to either suspend, modify, or even take no action whatsoever, however its claimed in the face of considerable evidence of illegal activity at the store, a source told HBC Exposed no options off the table at this point & the store could be staring down the barrel of having its licence removed altogether.
It comes as its been revealed that another nearby store has had its premises licence revoked, after town councillors were told the establishment had been repeatedly selling counterfeit Vodka & Vapes, the Vodka being found after testing to be "not fit for human consumption" & could have cause significant harm to those who'd consumed it...
What do you think ?
Should stores found to be selling illegal Booze & Tobacco have their licences immediately revoked ?
YES
NO
