The owner of a Tilbury vape shop has been ordered to pay more than £1,400 after a vape was sold to an underage customer, as part of an operation by Thurrock Council’s Trading Standards.
On Tuesday 12 November 2024, Basildon Magistrates Court ordered Alaur Rahman, 37, of Thames Road, Grays, who owns Vape-E-Licious in St Chads Road to pay £473 in fines and £1,000 in costs. Mr Rahman pled guilty to the charge of selling an age restricted product to an underage person under the Children and Families Act 2014.
Trading Standards Officers tested five premises across the borough including Vape-E-Licious as part a routine test purchasing operation on Thursday 11 May 2023. Vape-E-Licious was the only shop that day to sell a disposable vape to an underage 15-year-old volunteer.
The shop failed to ask for identification or the volunteer’s age during the test purchase, and even offered a variety of age restricted products before selling a vape to the young person.
The council’s Trading Standards Team previously secured a three-month closure order against Vape-E-Licious in September 2023 after the shop was found to be selling illegal vapes to young people.
Cllr Victoria Holloway, Cabinet Member for Place and the Environment, said: “Our Trading Standards Team works hard to keep communities in Thurrock safe. Businesses must follow strict processes to ensure underage children cannot purchase age-restricted products.
“This business, which is in close proximity to nearby schools, continued to sell age restricted products to young people despite multiple warnings. We will not tolerate irresponsible trading and will take action where necessary.”
Report concerns or suspicions that a shop is selling tobacco or vape products to underage children at thurrock.gov.uk/underage-sales