Leeds retailer ordered to pay £3,800 after selling e-cigarette to 15-year-old
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It came after a sting operation by Trading Standards as Kasa in Beeston following complaints that the shop had been selling the nicotine products to children.
A 15-year-old volunteer entered the Dewsbury Road store in January last year and successfully bought a £12 disposable e-cigarette and was not challenged about their age or asked of identification.
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Hide AdIt is an offence to sell electronic cigarettes containing nicotine to a person under the age of 18. The e-cigarette bought also had a 3,500 “puffs” capacity - any device that has over 600 is also illegal.
Shop owner Shakil Ahmed Bashir, 53, was brought before Kirklees Magistrates’ Court where he admitted offences under The Children and Families Act 2014, the Nicotine Inhaling Products Regulations 2015 and the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, both on his own behalf and on behalf of Winston Retail Ltd.


Bashir, of Cross Flatts Avenue, Beeston, was fined £576 and ordered to pay £230 costs. Winston Retail Ltd was issued with a separate fine of £384 and ordered to pay costs of £154.
A combined order for costs of £2,500 was made against Bashir and his company. The total penalty was £3,844.
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Hide AdDavid Strover, head of Trading Standards’ business services said: “The sale of disposable e-cigarettes to children should not be happening within our communities.
“The business was previously warned that complaints had been received and that a test purchase may follow.
“Vapes are for adult use to help smokers kick the habit and the sale of these products to children is unacceptable.
“The risk to juveniles of using vapes should not be underestimated, so retailers must ensure they implement rigorous systems to avoid the selling of vapes to minors, and staff must be trained accordingly.
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Hide Ad“I would encourage everyone to report illegal sales, including partners and members of the public, to reduce the harm caused by vapes and tobacco in our communities.”
Councillor Pauleen Grahame, a member of the West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee that oversees the work of Trading Standards said: “It is clearly irresponsible not to check the age of teenage customers wanting to purchase age restricted goods.
“Test purchases are undertaken regularly by Trading Standards staff to ensure shops adhere to the law on vapes.
The simple task of asking for identification and verifying the age of younger customers will help to reduce underage vaping. “