POLICE say one of the shops selling legal highs in Taunton has today told officers it will stop stocking them immediately.

The owner of Wicked, in East Reach, explained his decision to stop selling new psychoactive substances (NPS) during a meeting with members of Taunton’s Safer Stronger Neighbourhood policing team.

NPS, also known as legal highs, have been linked to many acts of crime and anti-social behaviour around the town.

Taunton Neighbourhood Inspector, Bob Muckett, said: "We're obviously delighted that the owner has taken the sensible and responsible view that he should no longer be selling legal highs.

"I'm indebted to the hard work of my team in combatting the spread of legal highs and their impact on the community, along with our various local partners, but we remain determined to free our town of the damage caused by legal highs."

The policing of people who have abused legal highs in Taunton was featured on the second episode of the current BBC1 series Neighbourhood Blues.”

Taunton Town Centre beat manager, PC Jim Breakwell, said: "Legal highs have been a blight on our community for the last 12 months, so this is a very welcome decision from Wicked.

"The town centre team has been working hard behind the scenes to form relationships with the shop owners and, during today's meeting with us, the owner of Wicked said he has decided to stop selling legal highs as he is aware of the negative impact it has had on the community."

Conservative-run Taunton Deane Council’s executive councillor for community leadership Jane Warmington praised the “responsible step”.
She added: “I know how hard the police are working behind the scenes - this decision by the shop owner shows what can be done through building solid relationships.”
Taunton Deane’s LibDem MP Jeremy Browne, who banned two NPSs when he was a Home Office Minister, has campaigned against their sale in shops
Simon Coles, leader of the LibDem opposition on the Deane, said: “We’ll do everything in our power to ensure our streets are clean of these dangerous and damaging substances.”
The LibDems and the South West Action Group collected over 1,500 signatures on a petition calling for the closure of the end to legal high sales in Taunton.
Caz, from the South West Action Group, said: “This is a tremendous result which we’ve worked so hard for.”