An official objection has been made to a premises licence switch in Accrington amid claims the applicant has links to illegal tobacco sales.

Police licensing officers in Hyndburn have urged councillors to reject a premises licence transfer for Food Plus Accrington in Whalley Road.

Pc Phil Needham has told the borough's licensing sub-committee Hawjin Ali Razie was linked to an illegal tobacco sales raid in Sheffield in 2019.

And he has submitted that Mr Razie's outfit, Food Plus Accy Ltd, was registered two days before trading standards officers found a quantity of illicit tobacco at the Accrington shop.

In a letter, he said Mr Razie was involved in a trading standard operation in Sheffield in 2019, when two adjoining Polish shops, with flats above, were raided.

He was said to be one of two men present in one of the flats when trading standards officers found a pipe under loose floorboards, connected to the shop below.

Nearby was a sleeve of Marlboro cigarettes and Pc Needham says this demonstrates Mr Razie "could very well been complicit in the sale of illicit tobacco at this premises in Sheffield".

The officer says this undermines licensing objectives - also Mr Razie is still registered at the same address in Sheffield and has no Accrington address, further diminishing his ability to be a responsible designated premises supervisor (DPS).

Pc Needham added: "It is my recommendation that Hawjin Ali Razie should not be recommended as DPS for Accrington Food Plus and the licence should not be transferred to Accy Food Plus Ltd."

Currently the licence for the Whalley Road premises is held by Food Plus Accrington Ltd and the designated premises supervisor is listed as Kurdo Abubkaer Ahmed, who has a given address in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

The issue will be resolved when the licensing sub-committee meets next Tuesday.