Westminster City Council has raided more “sham stores” on Oxford Street in a crackdown on counterfeiters and tax dodgers.
Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, said: “We are concerned there are rogues running these businesses.”
One of the stores, unassumingly named “Gifts and Luggage”, was found to be selling e-cigarettes imported from China that contained more than twice the legal amount of nicotine permitted in the UK.
The council said it seized more than 14,000 items yesterday, with an estimated value of £215,000, from two shops, one of its biggest hauls to date.
The council said the raids were “the easy bit”. The hard bit is pursuing the businesses for more than £8m in unpaid business rates.
Hug said landlords needed to work with the council to drive the stores out of Westminster.
