A Bolton-Upon-Dearne corner shop has been fined over £15,000 for the illegal sales of tobacco and unsafe food.

B. U Dearne Mini Market Limited, based at Unit 1a, St Andrews Square, Bolton-upon-Dearne, was found guilty of several offences relating to the sale of unlawful goods at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 16 October 2025.

Mr Gootiar Abdullah Mahmoodi, current director of the business, and Mr Boton Ismaeel Mahmood, the former director of the business, were both banned from running the business for two years.

Councillor Wendy Cain, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities, said “Our officers do great work to support businesses to operate legally. In this case, the business was given the opportunity to comply with the law and decided not to take it, leading to us taking further action.

” We’re proud of the hard work of our Regulatory Service and Legal teams in securing this result, which sends a clear message that we won’t tolerate unsafe or illegal products being sold in Barnsley.”

Council officers first visited the business in June 2024, serving two enforcement notices after being unhappy with how the shop’s displayed and packaged foodstuffs.

When officers returned for a follow-up inspection in August, they found the business had failed to comply with the notices. Non-compliant products were still on sale, including products which were unsafe due to allergenic ingredients not being indicated in English, as well as non-duty paid cigarettes and tobacco that did not carry the required combined health warnings in English.

Upon returning in August 2024, officers found that the business had ignored the notices. Non-compliant products which did not display ingredients and allergens in English were still on sale, as well as non-duty paid cigarettes and tobacco which also didn’t feature English packaging.

B. U Dearne Mini Market Limited was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £10,350.72. Former director Boton Ismaeel Mahmood was fined and ordered to pay costs totalling £5,477.72.

The court also ordered that the tobacco products be seized.

Cllr Cain added: “Businesses have a legal duty to make sure the food products they sell are safe and meet labelling requirements, and that any tobacco products they sell are compliant with UK laws. Failing to do so puts the public at risk and undermines legitimate traders.