Four Keighley stores that were found selling illegal goods will be able to sell alcohol until February, despite Councillors deciding they should be stripped of their licences in March.
And a court has been told that the four shops have continued to be involved in criminality since then.
In March, Bradford Council revoked the licence of five Keighley town centre shops following a two-day licensing hearing.
A licensing panel was told that a police and Trading Standards raid in late 2025 found the stores to be selling and storing large amounts of counterfeit tobacco.
Officers told members that the businesses were involved in organised crime.
All five were stripped of their alcohol licences.
But shortly after, four of the stores, European Food and Keighley Mini Market on North Street and Keighley Pound Plus and Wisla on Cavendish Street, appealed the decision of the licensing panel.
It meant the businesses could continue to sell alcohol until the appeals are concluded.
At a hearing at Bradford Magistrates Court on Friday it was decided these appeals would be heard on February 3 – almost 11 months after councillors decided they needed to be stripped of their licences.
When magistrates asked if these business were linked, Dennis Rice, representing Bradford Council, said that although they had different licence holders, the suspicion was they were all linked.
All four business were represented by a single solicitor, Alias Yousaf, at the licensing hearing, and will all be represented by the same solicitor at the appeal.
Mr Rice said:
“They are different businesses, but our belief is that they are run by the same person.
"There is a significant amount of evidence in common to all four cases.
“The reason the licences were brought before a committee was because of breaches of licence conditions, but also criminal activity – that has continued since then.
“We feel these appeals are wholly unmeritous, and that should go towards any awarding of costs if the appeals are lost.”
He asked the court to hear the appeals on the same day, and urged magistrates to list them as soon as possible.
Mr Rice said:
“The problem with licensing appeals is it enables people to carry on trading until the appeal is dealt with.
“In my point of view that can sometimes be abused, so we are trying to get this dealt with as soon as possible.”
Magistrates set the appeal hearings for February 3 – the first available date where all four appeals could be heard.
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