Police shut up shop after drugs and weapons find

The shop, in Millfield, Peterborough, has been closed until November over links to criminality

A city convenience store has been shut down because of concerns about links to drug dealing, exploitation and organised crime, police said.

The closure notice was served on Constanta Shop, on Lincoln Road, Millfield, Peterborough, after a warrant led to drugs and weapons being found.

Two men have been arrested and released on bail in connection with the find.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said the shop would remain closed until November, with access only permitted for the emergency services, local authority employees - and the landlord.

The application was contested by the owners of the premises on 24 July, but a full closure order was granted at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 7 August.

The police said robust action would be taken against anyone who breached the closure order

Sgt Paul Delmer said: "This closure order has been carried out as part of Alliance, a campaign to regenerate Millfield by tackling criminality in the area in a bid to make it an all-round better place for the community.

"It involves us working with partner agencies and residents in the area to reduce the levels of organised criminality through a variety of targeted operations and policing tactics.

"I hope the closure order and arrests shows the community that we are committed to tackling their concerns and will continue to police this robustly through regular compliance checks and taking action against anyone found to be in breach."