A SHOP openly selling 'smoking' paraphernalia and 'cannabis drinks' has opened in South Norwood.
Takeatoke, in Selhurst Road close to South Norwood High Street, has replaced a shop called Perfect Home Discount Furniture and opened on June 11.
On its Facebook page the shop lists the items it sells including grinders, tins, scales, bongs, skins, pipes, vapourisers and rolling machines.
The shop also sells 'cannabis energy drinks', although it would appear these do not have any narcotic effects and contain hemp seed extract.
A police spokesman said the South Norwood Safer Neighbourhood Team is satisfied the shop is trading legally and is not currently concerned about the operation.
The shop's Facebook page has a number of references to smoking marijuana on it and the shop's motto is 'Fly with paper planes' – a reference to smoking spliffs.
Wayne Lawlor, councillor for South Norwood, said the council and the police should be diligent but that the shop was not necessarily doing anything wrong.
He said: "If there is anything that may raise eyebrows going on in the shop then that will need to be investigated.
"I would personally never promote smoking and I do understand there are supposed to be some medical benefits to them but if anything illegal was occurring at the premises, then the council and the police would work together to stamp that sort of thing out."
The shop's sign depicts a man smoking a cigarette although it is unclear what type. There are also guides for how to grow plants indoors through a method called hydroponics.
A spokesperson for the council said there was nothing licensable being sold on the premises therefore the shop was free to carry on its business.
Most residents seemed nonplussed by the shop's appearance in South Norwood's district centre.
Tino Briggs, of Portland Road, said: "I've not been in but if people want to get that sort of thing it's not hard anyway. The shop sign is pretty funny though."
Another South Norwood resident, of Love Lane, who asked not to be named, said: "It's definitely not my first choice for a shop in the high street. But you see these type of shops in markets uptown. If they're doing nothing legally wrong then I don't see people making a fuss about it."
The Advertiser contacted Takeatoke on a number of occasions but did not receive a response.
