The owner of a convenience shop has been told he must comply with a series of new conditions after a report said thousands of illicit cigarettes were found there.

Officers from Redbridge Council’s Trading Standards reportedly uncovered almost 7,500 illegal cigarettes on two separate visits to Ashvin Stores in Clayhall.

Speaking at a licensing review last week, Trading Standards officer Ian Tucker told councillors it was “unconscionable” for the shop to keep its premises licence.

He expressed concern the shop, trading as AAA Convenience in Woodford Avenue, would continue to undermine the licensing objectives and not operate in an “honest” capacity.

However, Yusif Alhani, representing shop owner Appiah Ramachandran, said that stripping the shop of its licence would cause “irreparable damage” to the business and lead to its “inevitable closure”.

Officers uncovered 7,540 illicit cigarettes and more than half a kilogram of rolling tobacco hidden in a photocopier and small cupboard during a visit last September, according to a council report. Hundreds were also seized during a similar inspection in July 2021.

In this context, illegal cigarettes are defined as those brought in from another country where the duty has not been paid, or which do not meet UK packaging standards. Their sale “directly undermines the government’s smoking cessation policy,” the council says.

The owner's representative said he had learned his lesson from the “real possibility” his licence could be revoked.

He added there were no restrictions on the current licence regarding the sale of cigarettes and his client has been selling alcohol for 18 years with no breaches.

The committee ultimately agreed not to revoke Ramachandran’s licence, but handed him 20 conditions he must adhere to.

They included installing CCTV cameras that capture head-and-shoulder images of all customers, and keeping an incident book to log any crimes, acts of violence in the shop, or visits by the emergency services.

Employees will also need to log any refusals of sales in a separate book, covering any incidents of people trying to buy alcohol without ID, or on behalf of someone younger than 18.

Additionally, the shop will not be allowed to sell beers, lagers, and ciders with an ABV above 6.5 per cent. Single cans will also be prohibited from sale.

In recent months, the committee has reviewed various applications for shops to extend or alter their trading hours and licensing conditions. Various bodies, including the Metropolitan Police, can put forward recommendations on whether they should be approved.

In May, a Fairlop restaurateur’s bid to extend his operating hours over ten weekends was rejected following an incident with a replica gun.