An off licence has had its premises licence suspended after dozens of bags of cannabis were found in the site's storeroom last week.

Police, immigration officers as well as council trading standards and licensing staff arrived at Topshop on Hurst Street in Bury at 4pm on Thursday, April 20 to "search the premises for illicit tobacco and illegal vapes".

It also gave council licensing staff the chance to "look at any potential breaches with regards to the current premises licence", a licensing report said.

Following the visit, more than 80 snap bags of cannabis were found and two arrests were made.

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In the report prepared ahead of a council licensing hearing sub committee, Bury police licencing officer PC Peter Eccleston said: "Upon arrival at the premises, two Asian males were stood outside the premises on the street corner.

"On entering the premises no-one was present inside the store or in the storeroom at the rear of the property, however a minute or so later a white male entered the store.

"Upon asking the male if he was in charge, he stated that he had just been asked to look after the store temporarily by the two Asian males stood outside.

"There was a pungent smell of cannabis within the shop and within minutes two plastic containers were found in the storeroom which contained a total of 75 snap bags containing cannabis bush and 11 snap bags containing cannabis resin.

"Unfortunately, the two males had left the scene, however another Asian male entered the property and went directly to the storeroom where he removed some personal property.

"As such both he and the individual temporarily in charge were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class B drugs."

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PC Eccleston also said that although the shop can legally sell alcohol under its licence, it was "apparent that the store had not sold alcohol for some time with no stock on the shelves or in the storeroom".

He noted there was no CCTV in the store and a refusals book could not be found. 

He added: "In fact, the only stock we found in the storeroom were the containers of cannabis, and it is my opinion that the shop itself is a front for the sale of drugs which are likely to be just as readily available as a packet of crisps."

PC Eccleston then recommended a licence review with a hearing of the council's licensing sub committee set.

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The report said that after a review was applied for, the "premises licence holder cancelled the premises licence in writing stating that the shop had been sold, however no evidence of the sale was provided".

At the meeting this morning, Wednesday, members unanimously voted to suspend the premises Licence and remove the designated premises supervisor, Syed Khurshid Hussain Shah, who has been the premises licence holder since February 2020, according to the report.

These are interim steps which have been taken pending a full review at a later date.

Cllr Sandra Walmsley, who chaired the meeting, said it was important that action was taken immediately after the findings at the store.