A MINI-market could lose its licence after a string of allegations ­— including operating an illegal barber’s service.

Dino’s Mini-Market has been the subject of covert surveillance and raids since July of last year by police and trading standards leading to alcohol, nitrous oxide and cigarettes being seized.

Now its premises licence, held by Javad Ghorbanzadeh-Asli, is under review. The business says it will contest the allegations and had appointed a solicitor

An investigation into the shop was launched last summer with surveillance footage leading to the confiscation of nitrous oxide cannisters, after three individuals were said to be seen inhaling them after one visited the shop.

A joint police and trading standards raid was carried out at the shop resulting in the removal of 600 small nitrous oxide cannisters and 10 large N2O cannisters

In the second raid , police and trading standards officers, acted on a tip-off that ‘five to six males’ were in the back of the shop smoking and drinking and selling ‘fake cigarettes’.

It was during this large scale search last month, which involved special sniffer dogs, trained to find tobacco, that an illegal barber service was said to be uncovered in a back storage area.

“The inspection identified four males, three of whom appeared to be clients and the fourth male was the barber,” states a licensing notice.

It adds: “Close contact services were not legally permitted at the time due to the coronavirus pandemic.”

Later suspicions were raised that “many of the litres of spirits appeared to be stolen goods as the bottle tops were damaged.” Bottle tops on spirits become damaged when security tags are removed forcibly when stolen. Officers used keys to open a car boot and said they discovered 223 packets of illegal tobacco. During the same raid 936 small nitrous oxide cannisters were seized plus 45 large cannisters.

On a visit by The Bolton News, a man identifying himself as the owner said the nitrous oxide being sold was for food purposes and an old bag of clippers and combs, which he said belonged to the previous business  - a charity shop - led to the allegation of barber’s services. He claimed bottles of spirits were sometimes damaged in transit.

He said: "They found some alcohol damage, but when we buy from the cash and carry sometimes it can be damaged.”