Ledbury Convenience Store on High Street in Ledbury, Herefordshire, will no longer sell alcohol for off-site consumption. The shop, licensed to Mehmet Ozer until 11 p.m. daily, saw its premises licence revoked by Herefordshire Council’s licensing subcommittee.

Trading standards officer Andrew Turner pressed the committee for full revocation. He argued that altered licence conditions or a new designated premises supervisor would fail to stop the illegal activities. Quantities of contraband seized in a November raid, plus sales to a test purchase operative, pointed to serious organised crime, Turner said.

Officers found illegal cigarettes and rolling tobacco hidden in the shop’s rear kitchen during the raid. A three-month closure order followed, set to expire on February 23. West Mercia Police alcohol licensing officer PC Becky O’Keeffe noted another issue: the shop could not provide internal CCTV footage in April after an alleged staff assault on a customer.

Mehmet Ozer joined the hearing by video link. He described severe financial and mental strain from the closure and stressed his need to support his family. Ozer pledged to work in the shop alongside his wife from now on.

Improvements had been made, Ozer told the committee. The premises licence and Challenge 25 age verification notices now appear prominently. Fire safety issues and staff training gaps stood fixed. He blamed a power cut for the missing CCTV footage from the assault incident.

Committee chair Coun Andrews demanded proof that illegal sales would not resume. Ozer replied with a strong vow. “I promise you, if that ever happens in my shop again, you can put me in jail, not just close my shop,” he said. “I learn my lesson.”

The assurances fell short. After a short deliberation, the subcommittee voted unanimously to revoke the licence. No second chance emerged for the premises tied to repeated violations.

The decision caps a string of enforcement actions. Authorities had issued the closure order after the November discoveries. Earlier lapses, including the CCTV failure, eroded trust in the operation’s compliance.

Turner underscored the gravity to the committee. Simply tweaking conditions “would not prevent the activities from continuing,” he stated. A supervisor swap “would have no bearing on day-to-day activities,” he added.

Ozer’s shop had operated under strict conditions before the troubles mounted. The revocation ends alcohol sales there permanently unless successfully appealed. Ledbury residents now lack that High Street option for late-evening off-licence purchases.