A store in Hitchin's Churchgate shopping centre has been hit with a extended closure order to stop "illegal activity".
Anas Express will be closed for the next three months following a hearing at Stevenage Magistrates' Court today.
An investigation by Trading Standards and the HMRC in "illegal activity" at the store is ongoing, with Herts police community safety sergeant, Chris Adshead, saying: "The property has been the subject of an ongoing Trading Standards investigation and we have applied for the closure order to help prevent any further illegal activity at the premises."
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Jeanette Thompson, legal and community service director at North Herts Council, added: "We’d like to thank our partners for coming together to eliminate this activity in the centre of such a loved market town."
The closure order was granted under Section 80 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.
It bans anyone from entering the property during this time, with the exemption of the police and council officials.
Anyone who does so could be arrested and face a fine of up to £5,000, a prison sentence, or both.
READ MORE: Hitchin - Churchgate shop hit with police closure order
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