Vape shops, barbers and nail salons linked to crime groups will be targeted and shut down in a crackdown on nefarious activities on Britain's streets.
Police and local authorities will be equipped with stronger powers to close rogue businesses for longer, as they pursue prosecutions to put criminal bosses in jail.
The move comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced £30million in funding to raid and close thousands of illegal businesses, arrest bosses and seize dirty cash.
The National Crime Agency estimates at least £12billion of criminal cash is generated in the UK each year, with £1billion laundered through high street businesses like mini-marts, barber shops, vape stores and sweet shops.
While existing powers allow premises to close for up to six months, businesses can often reopen before investigations have concluded, creating burdens for councils, police forces and the courts as crime resumes.
Under revised plans, the Government will double the maximum duration of closure orders to give investigators more time to gather evidence and pursue prosecutions.
The Home Secretary has also instructed officials to urgently review the presence of vape shops, barbers, and more on the skilled worker sponsorship list, following concerns about potential misuse of the system.
Any businesses seeking to abuse the system will have their licences revoked.
Illegal vape shops have been found to be linked to organsied crime groups
| GETTYShabana Mahmood said: “High streets across the country have been hijacked by criminal gangs operating in plain sight - running vape stories, dodgy barbers, and nail salons to launder their dirty money.
“I have launched a nationwide crackdown to raid and close thousands of illegal businesses, arrest bosses and seize their dirty cash.
“But I will go further - introducing new laws to close these shops for good and put criminal bosses behind bars."
The new measures build on changes made through the Crime and Policing Act, which increased the duration of closure notices from 48 hours to 72 hours, helping councils to gather enough evidence to shut down shops for longer.
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The changes hope to give the police stronger tools to disrupt organised crime, prevent repeat offending, and protect honest businesses.
John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “CTSI welcomes the Government’s intent to strengthen enforcement powers across England and Wales, particularly regarding closure orders, which is an issue we have been actively campaigning on recently.
"Closure orders are a key enforcement tool for Trading Standards Officers in tackling 'dodgy shops', but our members have made us aware of challenges that limit their current impact."
He described the plans as "an important first step in addressing those issues".
Police will be able to ensure dodgy businesses stay closed for longer
| GETTY"We look forward to engaging with the consultation process to ensure the powers are as robust as possible to help crack down on criminals and safeguard local communities."
Meanwhile, Josh Nicholson, head of housing and communities at the Centre for Social Justice, noted that gangs selling illegal tobacco, trafficking drugs, and facilitating immigration crime "undermine the foundations of safe community life".
He said: “We welcome the Home Secretary's commitment to strengthening closure orders which will give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on the organised criminals who operate across Britain’s high streets.”
The new measures will proceed after consultation with interested parties, with regulations to extend closure orders expected to be laid by the end of 2026.