Rogue traders banned from Newcastle city centre after dramatic police chase

Members of the public made the police aware of the men who appeared to be selling stolen goods
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Three men selling what appeared to be stolen items on Northumberland Street have been banned from the Newcastle city centre.

Last week, officers received a number of reports from members of the public who were concerned about a group of suspicious males in and around Northumberland Street, who appeared to be selling stolen items.

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Those concerns came to a dramatic end when officers carried out patrols on Monday and spotted two men matching the descriptions given - who quickly fled.

A short foot-chase saw officers dash through Eldon Square and onto Blackett Street to stop the men, who were questioned about their activity.

A third man was stopped nearby and the trio, aged 18, 31 and 32, were all issued with dispersal notices banning them from stepping foot in the city centre for 48 hours.

An investigation was launched and handed over to partners in Trading Standards, who will continue with the enquiries.

The rogue traders targeted Northumberland Street (Image: Google Streetview)The rogue traders targeted Northumberland Street (Image: Google Streetview)
The rogue traders targeted Northumberland Street (Image: Google Streetview)
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Speaking about the activity, Sergeant Paul Lewins from Northumbria Police said: “We are thankful to the members of the public who spotted something that didn’t look right and contacted us.

“From the information we were given, we are able to trace three men who were in possession 150 bottles of aftershave, which if they’d sold on our streets, could have made them around £4000.

“Unlicensed traders are not welcome on our streets and we will continue to issue dispersal notices and share information with our partners in the local authority to tackle the issue.

“The incident has now been handed over to our partners in Trading Standards who will look into it further.

“We’d ask the public continues to raise any concerns and reports suspicious behaviour to us, and we will always act.”

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