THE licence of a troubled corner shop has been suspended for three months after concerns over the ‘right to work’ of a staff member .

It is the latest in a line of problems at the Wisla Supermarket in Kidlington. Previous owners had sold smuggled cigarettes to undercover council officers twice in just three months.

The latest owner, Diyari Jabar Abdulla, was found not to be responsible for that catalogue of failings, having only taken over the premises licence on August 7.

But Cherwell council’s licensing sub-committee said it was ‘seriously concerned’ after Mr Abdulla appeared in front of them at a hearing.

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‘A number of conditions’ in the shop's licence were found not to have been compiled with. There were concerns over whether a staff member was allowed to work in the shop during a visit on September 10.

The shop, in The Parade, will be now unable to sell alcohol from 6am until 11pm between Monday and Saturday and between 6am and 10.30pm on Sunday.

Despite it being Mr Abdulla's responsibility to ‘proactively obtain information’ about the law, the panel said it was encouraged that Mr Abdulla said he will improve his knowledge.

It suspended his licence for three months – and expects Mr Abdulla and his staff receive ‘necessary training to ensure the shop is fully compliant’ with licence conditions during that period.

Two previous owners of Wisla Supermarket, Soran Salih and Erfan Gharib, both admitted possessing illegal and smuggled tobacco last month.

Salih, of Hazel Crescent in Kidlington, sold a smuggled packet of Marlboro Touch cigarettes to an undercover trading standards officer at Wisla Supermarket on December 17, 2017.

The officer then returned to the shop on February 25 and bought a smuggled packet of Marlboro Gold cigarettes from Salih, 33.

At some point between last December and this February, the business had been sold by Salih to his former employee Gharib, of Foley Road, Birmingham.

Gharib, 35, was also charged with offences because under law, he commits an offence if he allows illegal products to be sold.

Gharib was fined £2,920 for seven offences, including costs and a victim surcharge, and Salih admitted another 11 offences.

He was fined £4,920, including costs and a victim surcharge.