Eight barber shops have been shuttered and two people arrested as part of a police operation on 20 premises managed by foreign nationals in Limassol.

“The inspections revealed eight complaints about offences including operation without a licence, without a licence to sell alcohol and tobacco,” the police told the Cyprus Mail on Wednesday.

Police said that the checks were carried out in several areas in the Limassol district including the Ayias Fylaxeos, Gladstonos, Franklin Roosevelt, Misiaouli and Kavazoglou and Apostolou Varnavas street between 5pm and 11pm on Tuesday.

Eight premises were closed while a further five were discovered to be violating current legislation. These included two barber shops operating without a licence and three mini markets operating without a licence to sell tobacco products.

Two people were apprehended on charges of illegal employment, whilst their employer was reported. One person was arrested for identification, with a complaint filed for illegal employment which was later settled out-of-court with the payment of €4,000.

Moreover, 50 foreigners present in the various premises were investigated, but the police found no evidence they were illegal residents.

The police said that similar inspections would be intensified in the near future.

The inspections were carried out within the framework of the implementation of the legislation on shop assistants in collaboration with the labour ministry, the labour inspection department and an officer from the tax department.