Britain has lost nearly 1,800 pubs and bars in the last decade while vape and tobacco shops have proliferated, according to new research by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).
The cross-party think tank found that for every new tobacco and vape shop to open since 2016, seven pubs have closed. The number of vape and tobacco outlets now stands at almost 2,200, a rise of 245 since 2016.
The CSJ warns that ‘dodgy shops’ are filling the void left by valued community assets, with polling finding 68% of Britons believe there are too many vape shops on the high street.
The think tank has launched an inquiry, warning that organised crime, illegal trading, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are compounding long-term economic challenges facing town centres, leaving local authorities underequipped to tackle the resulting breakdown in law and order.
Labour MP Connor Naismith called for stronger powers for trading standards to shut down what he described as criminal enterprises ‘making a mockery of the law.’
