More than nine in ten ‘dodgy shops’ found to be selling illicit tobacco or vapes remain open after enforcement action, according to a new report by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).
Freedom of Information data obtained by CSJ found that more than 4,000 shops had illicit tobacco, cigarettes or vaping products seized in 2025, almost 1,000 more than in 2024.
Of these, only 8% of offending premises were temporarily closed in 2025, leaving more than nine in 10 open for business.
The report, Hijacked High Streets, warns that Britain’s high streets are becoming “consequence-free zones”, where organised crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are rife.
The research found that more than two in five Britons (41%) said they had personally witnessed or experienced anti-social behaviour in 2025/26, up from 36% the previous year.
Over the course of the research, CSJ representatives saw shops restocking illicit goods, while suspects evaded further legal action through ghost directors and ‘phoenixing’.
The CSJ’s inquiry identified four key drivers behind the growth of criminal high street businesses:
● Growing demand for illicit tobacco, cigarettes and vaping products.
● Mass immigration and the exploitation of illegal working by OCGs.
● Long-term economic decline leaving high streets hollowed out.
● A lack of resources and powers for enforcement agencies.
It is calling for the Government to establish a “British FBI”, bringing together powers currently fragmented across more than 100 departments and agencies to achieve equivalent results at a national level.
Under the proposals, plans for a new National Police Service would be accompanied by the restructuring of Trading Standards into a national enforcement agency with stronger statutory powers.
The report also calls for on-the-spot closure orders for up to 12 months with simpler evidence thresholds for both temporary and permanent closures.
In the report’s foreword, Melanie Onn MP, Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, who has led a parliamentary campaign against criminal high street businesses said: “There is no route to high street renewal without restoring security to our communities.
“Over the last year, I have spearheaded a parliamentary campaign to shut down these criminal enterprises and revitalise Britain’s high streets. This campaign has gained the backing of over 70 MPs.
“This government is determined to bring back hope to our communities. This report provides a path forward. Now is the time to act.”
Commenting on the findings, Joshua Nicholson, head of housing and communities at the Centre for Social Justice, said:
“Seizing illegal cigarettes and vapes while leaving the shop open to trade again the next day is not only futile, it is fuelling a terrifying criminal underworld.
“Hard-working Trading Standards officers are being asked to take on organised crime groups with one hand tied behind their backs. Government needs to back them with the powers they need to get criminal businesses out of our communities.
“The Home Secretary has taken important steps forward but now is the time to take back Britain’s high streets for good.”
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