A TOWN CENTRE retailer has been ordered to pay nearly £2,000 after selling a vape to a child volunteer during a Trading Standards test purchase operation.
It comes after, on February 17, during a test purchase, a 14-year-old male volunteer, accompanied by a Reading Trading Standards officer, visited Reading Accessories at 12a Union Street, Reading.
The accompanying officer noted that the shop was empty at the time of the test purchase, and the seller behind the payment desk was talking on his phone throughout the transaction.
They also saw the sale take place, and at no point did the seller ask for identification or challenge the volunteer’s age.
When the volunteer returned to the officers waiting outside the premises, he produced a HAYATI 20mg vape, sold to him at Reading Accessories.
The model also contained the maximum legal nicotine concentration.
Jaspal Singh Chopra, 45, of Elspeth Road, Wembley, subsequently pleaded guilty at Reading Magistrates’ court on behalf of his business, Reading Accessories, on July 11.
The test purchase is the fourth failed by the business, after three carried out in 2022. It follows a previous closure order in 2023, which was imposed for three months due to selling vapes to underage children.
While Trading Standards can apply to the courts for orders, which may restrict a business’s activities, they cannot formally close businesses down.
Magistrates credited Mr Chopra for his early guilty plea and imposed a reduced fine of £185.
He was also ordered to pay a £74 victim surcharge and £1,570 in prosecution costs, bringing the total financial penalty to £1,829.
Trading Standards officers have since revisited the business to instruct Mr. Chopra to implement the Challenge 25 policy.
This includes displaying clear signage stating that customers must be over 18 to purchase a vape and that anyone who appears under 25 will be asked to show an accepted form of ID.
During a formal interview, Mr Chopra acknowledged he did not challenge the volunteer’s age and wrongly sold him the vape as he was distracted by his phone conversation with his wife, who was unwell.
Cllr Karen Rowland, lead Councillor for Environmental Services and Community Safety, said:
“I’m pleased that this prosecution has cost the retailer nearly £2,000 in this instance, and this should serve as a wake-up call to retailers in Reading that the Council will not hesitate to act against anyone found to be selling age-restricted products illegally.
“The health risks associated with underage vaping are well documented. Our dedicated Trading Standards team carries out regular test purchases and inspections across the Borough to ensure that businesses are operating responsibly and helping to protect young people from harm.
“Where it is clear business operators have no regard for the law, we will not hesitate to take decisive action to ensure businesses protect public safety and comply with legal standards.”
