Shrewsbury firm ordered to pay £5k court bill after selling vape to a minor

Following a prosecution brought by Shropshire Council, Positive Business Communications Ltd, trading as Vapafone, on Castle Street in Shrewsbury was convicted by Telford Magistrates Court on July 31.

The business was ordered to pay a total of £5,035.10 in fines and costs.

Shropshire Council's Trading Standards team brought the case forward following a test purchase operation in Shrewsbury during June last year where a 17-year-old volunteer was able to buy an Elfbar vape without being challenged as to what their age was.

The council says the company "had denied the charge saying they had implemented all reasonable precautions to prevent the offence, but due to poorly kept refusal logs and inadequate staff monitoring the court was not satisfied it had met the requirements, especially after prior incidents and advice from Trading Standards."

The court found the company guilty, issuing a fine of £1,500 for the offence as well as other costs of £3,535.10.

Cabinet member for planning and regulatory services, Councillor Chris Schofield, said: "Our Trading Standards team is dedicated to assisting businesses in complying with legal standards and acting responsibly.

"This case serves as a warning to sellers of age-restricted items about their duty to block sales to minors, including implementing 'Challenge 25', checking photo ID, and providing proper staff training on actions to take to prevent sales to minors.

"Our aim is to maintain Shropshire as a secure, safe and appealing place to live and visit, and our team will persist in upholding the laws concerning the sale of age-sensitive products, preventing those under 18 from purchasing from non-compliant establishments."

Meanwhile, a Shropshire convenience store business and its owner were ordered to pay more than £21,000 by the court after admitting to the sale of illegal oversized nicotine containing vapes.

3,668 oversized vapes were seized from the Thresher store in Shrewsbury, the Oswestry Convenience Store in Oswestry, and the Londis store in Worthen.

Mr Showkumar Jeyaratnam on behalf of himself and his company Niro and Show Ltd Uk pleaded guilty to five offences when he appeared at Telford Magistrates Court on Monday.

The business was ordered to pay fines and costs of £16,621 while Mr Jeyaratnam was ordered to pay fines and costs of £5,021, together totalling £21,642.

Councillor Schofield added: "Our Trading Standards team is committed to working with businesses to help them adhere to legal requirements and act in a responsible manner. However, as this case demonstrates, if needed we will proceed with enforcement where a business continues and repeatedly fails to adhere to legal controls.

"The sale of these illicit vapes undermines the legitimate market and poses a potential danger to users who may not be aware of the nicotine content or the ingredients of these products.

"We will not hesitate to take action against traders who ignore the law and we urge anyone who has concerns about illegal vapes to report them to us."