The Head Candy store has closed its doors after being served with a community protection notice. Photo: The Lincolnite
The last shop selling so-called legal highs in Lincoln has closed its doors after being served with a community protection notice by police and city council enforcement officers.
Lincolnshire Police and City of Lincoln Council officers served the notice to Head Candy, on Melville Street at around 4.30pm on Thursday, March 5.
Signs have been displayed in the windows of the now empty shop.
The business was ordered to remove all stock within 48 hours, and was given three weeks to appeal against the notice.
If the business continues to sell within the three week period, it will be committing an offence. It will only be allowed to reopen if an appeal against the notice is won.
Message from the management in the shop window.
Earlier this year, the Marleys legal highs shop on Lincoln High Street closed following growing pressure from councils and partner agencies. A number of products had previously been seized in police raids.
On February 24, Lincoln made history by becoming the first city in the UK to ban public consumption of legal highs. A new Public Space Protection Order will come into force on April 1, 2015.
Sam Barstow, City of Lincoln Council’s Service Manager for Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour, said: “City of Lincoln Council and Lincolnshire Police served a Community Protection Notice on Head Candy yesterday afternoon (Thursday, March 5).
“This notice informed the retailer they must immediately cease the sale of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) – more commonly known as ‘legal highs’ – and they have been given 48 hours to remove the stock from the premises.
“They have three weeks in which they can appeal the notice, but if they continue to sell the products during this time it will be an offence.”
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A local man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving after two pedestrians were injured in a collision with a car and three parked vehicles in Skegness.
Lincolnshire Police officers attended the scene after the collision between a blue Citroen Berlingo, the parked vehicles, and a man and a woman, who are both in their 60s, on Winthorpe Avenue shortly before 7pm on Friday, April 16.
The two pedestrians suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital. However, their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
A 63-year-old local man, who was driving the Berlingo, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving. He has since been released under investigation.
Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage and anyone with information should contact them on 101 or via email at [email protected] quoting incident number 389 of April 16.
Few people attended the second Kill the Bill protest in Lincoln on Saturday, as Extinction Rebellion activists stood alone on the High Street to campaign against a proposed policing bill that could make many protests illegal.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire gathered at Speakers’ Corner to oppose plans for the latest Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which could curtail protesting rights if passed through parliament.
Extinction Rebellion were the main representatives at the protest. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Under the proposed bill, police officers will be given greater powers to put a stop to any protests, as well as determining start and finish times for them, and controlling noise levels.
A few stopped to talk with the protestors, but most just went about their day walking down Lincoln High Street in the first weekend that non-essential shops and beer gardens reopened.
The Lincolnite spoke to one of the rebels at the protest, to find out the reasons behind the march.
They said: “This draconian bill cannot go ahead, it needs to be taken apart and re-evaluted completely.
“People have been walking past us shaking their heads, but they don’t realise that it’s their freedom we are fighting for.”
The Lincolnite photographer Steve Smailes captured some pictures from the protest.
Signs were put up by the works at Speakers’ Corner on Lincoln High Street. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A 19-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after a crash on the A52 on Friday evening.
The single-vehicle crash, involving a white Suzuki Splash, happened in the westbound lane of the A52 between Barrowby and Sedgebrook at around 7.20pm on Friday, April 16.
The driver of the car is now in hospital after suffering serious injuries, and police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Officers believe the driver had travelled from Grantham on the A52 at Barrowby before the crash.
Anyone who has dashcam footage or saw the vehicle before the incident is being asked to call 101, quoting incident 420 of April 16.
Alternatively, you can email [email protected], using the same reference in the subject box.