Two Navan head shops close ahead of public protest

Two head shops that were operating in Navan have closed after the landlords had the tenants removed from the premises in the past week. Buz Stop, which was located at Ludlow Street, closed last Wednesday, while the New Age Novelty Shop at Watergate Street was closed on Saturday evening, after action was taken by the landlords. Cllr Francis Deane, who organised a peaceful protest at Market Square against head shops in Navan last Saturday, welcomed the move and said they were "now free of head shops in the town" and that the campaign had been a "great success". Cllr Deane said the premises on Ludlow Street closed last Wednesday and he got assurances on Friday morning from the landlord's legal representatives that the shop on Watergate Street would also be closed. About 20 people turned out for the protest on Saturday and Cllr Deane said that, by that stage, word had spread that the second head shop was closing. He said: "The landlords in these cases were totally innocent and very respectable people who were very concerned about these shops trading there." Cllr Deane is urging landlords and auctioneers in general to be vigilant about who they are renting their premises to. He said that, in many cases, the head shops are claiming to be gift shops or novelty shops. The Navan independent town councillor organised last Saturday's protest after the issue of head shops was raised with him by concerned parents and also by local schoolteachers who had reported a significant recent increase in behavioual difficulties amongst their teenage pupils. Cllr Deane added a number of taxi drivers had also raised the issue with him as they are finding passengers are more aggressive and publicans have also reported some behavioural problems with customers. Meath Sinn Féin members also held a picket outside the town's head shops on Friday 9th April. Cllr Peadar Tóibín said the picket was held in an effort to make trade as difficult as possible for the head shops and to educate young people that just because the drugs were legal, it did not mean they were safe. Meanwhile, Navan Mayor, Cllr Joe Reilly, has said that the Child Care Act 1991 has legal provision to prohibit the sale of so-called legal highs to people under the age of 18. He said the Act contained measures aimed at preventing the sale of glue to minors, but its scope covers any substance that can be inhaled or consumed for the purpose of intoxification. The Sinn Féin councillor, who is the chairperson of the Navan Joint Policing Committee, said: "This existing legislation is a quick and easy mechanism to prohibit the sale of these life-threatening legal drugs to under-18s. I believe that this legislation provides the Gardaí and courts with the power to address this issue. The sale of substances to children where there can be a reasonable belief that these may be inhaled to cause intoxication is an offence under the Child Care Act 1991, punishable by fines and/or imprisonment. The Act also gives Gardaí powers of confiscation in public places." He added: "Over the last number of weeks, Sinn Féin has protested outside head shops across Meath. We are also in the process of developing comprehensive legislation that will close down head shops. The Government have delayed taking action for too long. However, now they have the opportunity to take significant action. "I will be contacting senior Gardaí urging them to enforce this legislation and to commence a focused operation targeting head shops," Cllr Reilly said.