Nelson shoplifter banned from motorway service station and Spar store
A prolific shoplifter from Nelson has been banned from entering two businesses after being handed a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) by magistrates.
Paul McLaughlin, 39, of no fixed address, received the order at Preston Magistrates’ Court on November 22, 2025 following a series of shoplifting offences in the area.
Under the terms of the CBO, McLaughlin is prohibited from entering the service station at Junction 13 of the M65 in Nelson.
He is also banned from the Spar store on Leeds Road.
The case forms part of Operation Vulture, Lancashire Constabulary’s county-wide crackdown on shoplifting, supported by Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw.
The initiative includes hotspot patrols in known trouble areas, greater visibility from dedicated officers, and closer partnerships with shop owners to share intelligence, better understand retail crime trends and identify offenders more quickly.