Fantasia in Leeds banned from selling knives used by gangs

The council said it had repeatedly tried unsuccessfully to work with Fantasia over its knife sales

A shop in Leeds has been banned from selling "combat-style knives" after police found they had been used by rival gangs in the city.

Police said the weapons bought from Fantasia in Ludgate Hill had been used in recent serious assaults, causing "horrific injuries" to teenage boys.

The city council obtained a partial closure order to stop it selling the knives for eight weeks.

Police seized weapons from the shop during a raid earlier this month.

As a result three men were arrested on suspicion of the unlawful marketing of knives, police said. They have since been released and remain under investigation.

The arrests came after police received intelligence about weapons bought from the shop being used by "rival criminal groups involved in recent violent incidents in Leeds and West Yorkshire".

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The authority's anti-social behaviour team said it secured the order after "repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact the business and reach a satisfactory solution in relation to the sale of knives on premises".

During the eight-week partial closure, it is working with the police to make sure the business markets the knives legally.

Ch Insp Kev Pickles, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "Securing this Partial Closure Order, specifically in relation to the sale of combat-style knives, is an excellent result for our communities and a significant positive step in our ongoing work to tackle knife crime.

"We have seen a number of serious assaults where these types of weapons have been used to cause some horrific injuries, mostly to young teenage males."

Leeds City Council's deputy leader Debra Coupar said: "No-one should be marketing knives as combat weapons, so I very much welcome the introduction of the Partial Closure Order which will give the opportunity for council teams to work with the store to ensure they understand their responsibilities when it comes to the sale of knives."