Council seizes record number of illegal goods

OVER 30,000 illicit goods have been removed from a wholesaler in Liverpool City Council's biggest seizure of a single premises to date.

Working with Merseyside Police, the Council's Public Protection team recovered 7,700 vapes and 23,400 cigarettes from a property in Old Swan, worth £105,000.

An inspection by the teams found that the goods, due to be sold to local businesses in the area, were unregulated and could be dangerous to consumers.

The premises was issued a warning and could face closure if there is any further criminal activity.

Unregulated vapes and cigarettes could contain banned ingredients and may pose a serious health risk to anyone using them.

Rules around the sale of vapes are set out in the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.

The requirements restrict e-cigarette tanks to a capaCity of no more than 2ml, around 600 puffs, while the maximum volume of nicotine-containing e-liquid for sale in 1 refill container is restricted to 10ml.

Additionally, e-liquids are restricted to a nicotine streng no more than 20mg/ml.

Previously, the largest seizure of illicit goods from a single property saw over 4,600 illicit vapes taken from a store in L8.

In 2024, the Council removed over 135,000 illegal cigarettes and vapes from sale across Liverpool. Any vapes seized by the team are sent to be recycled by a Manchester based contractor that has been authorised by Trading Standards North West.

Councillor Harry Doyle, Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture said:- "Thanks to the team's quick actions based on intelligence they received, they managed to take thousands of potentially dangerous goods off the market before they could be sold to the public. While genuine vaping products can be a helpful alternative to smoking, they should always be sourced from reputable retailers. Regulations around vapes and cigarettes exist for a reason. Illicit products could contain ingredients that are harmful to people's health, which is why removing them from the market is a priority."

Merseyside Police Local Policing Constable Graeme Brannagan said:- "We're pleased to have worked alongside Liverpool City Council in this significant seizure, which makes our communities a great deal safer. Anyone with information about suspected illegal goods is urged to contact us through 101, online or through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and, working in partnership, we will keep taking action."

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Casablanca Bar Lounge has been made into the Nazar Turkish restaurant

WORK has been completed to create a brand new Turkish restaurant and bar in Southport Town Centre called:- Nazar, located on the juction of Lord Street, and Bold Street. The venue will offer an impressive menu which includes:- a selection of hot meze; cold meze; charcoal grilled meat; salads; and more, with bookings now open.  Guests can enjoy traditional Turkish drinks such as:- raki and Turkish wines.

Local residents will remember that the venue was once the renowned Casa Italia, which was the 2nd Italian restaurant to open in the Town, but closed after the Lockdowns.

The current owners are 2 successful business owners:- Luminita Maranda and her partner Radu Ivan, who have built a regular clientele at the thriving Sapori Italian restaurant next door, which celebrated its 3rd birthday, back in December 2024.

Luminita and Radu completed a refurbishment of Sapori earlier this year and are now turning their full attention to getting Nazar, which will have 80 covers, with an initial team of 6 members of staff.

Luminita said:- "The word:- 'Nazar' comes from a concept deeply embedded in Turkish culture, and it refers to surveillance, sight and attention. We thought it was the perfect name. Radu and I love eating Turkish food when we go out. We often go out to great Turkish restaurants in Ormskirk or Liverpool. There are good Turkish takeaways in Southport but no dedicated Turkish restaurant like this. We wanted to add something new and exciting to Southport's thriving dining scene. Turkish food is so beautiful. There is so much choice in Southport! You can go out and eat Italian; Thai, Vietnamese; Mexican; Chinese; French; you can eat all around the world in this Town. Visitors have so many different places they can try. We wanted to add a new Turkish restaurant so people can come and try some delicious charcoal cooked lamb, chicken or beef, or try our mezze platters. It's a perfect way to eat, which allows you to try different dishes and share with friends. We are determined to be open in time for the School Easter holidays, which we hope will be a busy time in Southport. The days have been getting warmer and we have been seeing some sunshine. We have the perfect spot on Lord Street with Nazar and Sapori. We have some lovely outdoor seating, which is a real suntrap!"

Luminita added:- "Since we opened Sapori, we have built up a very loyal following of customers. They are fascinated to know what is happening at Nazar, what it will be like and when it will be opening! We hope lots of people will come and see for themselves. It was great having the Casablanca bar, but the huge kitchen that has been here since the Casa Italia days is such a superb asset, and we thought it is too good to waste it. We are keeping Casablanca, just relocating it. We are currently in the process of looking at different sites in Southport where we could reopen it. We are so excited about the new Marine Lake Events Centre being built! It is going to be an incredible new attraction for Southport. It's going to bring so many new visitors to our Town. We can't wait. We are also thrilled that the Open Golf Championship is coming back to Southport next year, which is going to see people flying in from across the world. We have lots of big events happening this year too such as the Southport Flower Show, Southport Air Show, Southport Armed Forces Festival, the British Musical Fireworks Championships and more. There is always something happening here. We are proud to be investing in creating an exciting new dining experience in Southport Town Centre and look forward to welcoming people to come and visit our new Nazar restaurant and bar."