Hill Top Supermarket in West Bromwich sold a knife to a 15-year-old. Illegal cigarettes and other violations were also found.
Inspectors also discovered illegal cigarettes and vapes, along with alcohol and prescription tablets. The inspection happened separately from the knife sale.
They found Sildenafil, like Viagra, and a lot of it: 200 packets of this prescription-only medicine. Bottles of Spumante were also mislabeled as prosecco. This happened last October.
Trading standards checked the store again as part of an undercover operation. The shop then sold a knife to a young teen in a test to see if they would.
A knife crime statue had been unveiled, reminding people about knife violence. The same week, a boy was stabbed in West Bromwich and rushed to the hospital.
The council will meet about the license on February 26. Mandeep Sharma is the current license holder, and has held it for four years.
The council can change the license rules, including halting alcohol sales completely. They could even suspend or end the license, or change the license owner.
The police want them to lose the license and are concerned about the violations. They think changes won’t be followed and have lost faith in the store complying.
Trading standards explained that illegal cigarettes are often sold cheap, meaning taxes were not paid. Subsequently, these cheap cigarettes are often sold illegally.
Warnings about smoking help people quit, with clear labels and pictures showing risks. This aims to discourage tobacco use and stops young people from starting to smoke.