Somerset shops fined for selling illegal vapes

Bosses of two Somerset shops were fined for selling illegal vapes. Bath & North East Somerset Council is cracking down on the illicit items - with businesses warned they could be taken to court.

The council's Trading Standards team found more than 100 illegal vapes for sale at the Spar shop in Weston, Bath on May 1 this year. They also discovered 39 illegal vapes at Kaay Stores in Westfield during a visit on May 16.

On October 23 Darshan Balendran, owner of the Spar shop, appeared at Bath Magistrates' Court and admitted one charge under The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £400 and costs of £1,059.

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On the same date, Thuraisingam Yogamoorthy, day to day manager and principal behind the company that owns Kaay Stores, pleaded guilty to an offence under The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. He also entered a guilty plea on behalf of the company for an offence under the same regulations.

Yogamoorthy was fined £1,000, and the company Aathenaa Ltd was fined £1,500 for the offence. Costs and surcharges were ordered by magistrates totalling £2,300.

Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for neighbourhood services said: “Our trading standards team will continue to work hard to stop illegal vapes being made available to the public. We will continue to make checks on retailers that sell vapes and protect consumers from the harm that can be caused by illegal products.”

What does the law say about selling vapes?

To be legally sold in the UK, disposable vapes are required to have undergone a safety assessment and authorisation process with the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Illegal vapes undergo no such assessment to ensure they are safe for consumers to use. It is also a requirement that disposable vapes have a tank size of no more than two millilitres.

Guidance on the regulations around selling vapes is available here. Anyone who has concerns or information about the sale of illegal products can report it to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service helpline on 0808 223 1133.