Probe after shops caught selling vapes to underage customers in Walsall
An investigation has been launched after staff working at four shops in Walsall were caught selling restricted vapes to underage customers.
The activity was discovered after Walsall Trading Standards officers carried out a mystery shopper initiative on October 29 (Wed) involving two teenaged volunteers who posed as customers.
They visited five shops between them and four unnamed premises sold nicotine-containing vapes or vape liquid to the volunteers, with one shop refusing the sale of alcohol.
The council said the check took place following complaints about shopkeepers selling vapes to people too young to purchase products legally despite the businesses previously being given advice about preventing illicit activity.
Walsall Council's enforcement chief Councillor Adam Hicken said: "We should absolutely be cracking down on ensuring our retailers comply with the law when selling age-restricted items. There are no excuses for selling vapes to children, and where there is a clear failure, we will rightfully enforce.
"Our trading standards officers are there to support retailers with all the information and resources they need, and yet some are still failing on their legal duty.
“Thank you to our young volunteers who support us with this activity, it’s down to them that we can now proceed with our investigations and continue our efforts to keep the people of Walsall safe and free from harm.”
Sale of vapes containing nicotine to under 18 is an offence under The Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 and the Children and Families Act 2014.
The council added that circumstances surrounding the sales will now be investigated. In the meantime the shops involved cannot be revealed by the town hall.
In September the proprietor of Vape and Beyond in Digbeth near the market stalls was ordered by magistrates to pay more than £2,000 after selling a vape containing nicotine to an underage customer.
