Shopkeepers who persist in selling illegal vapes are putting people’s health at risk and could face jail if convicted, trading standards officers in North Yorkshire are warning.
Barlick Megatronic Mobiles Ltd, trading as Phonefix, and its director, Humayoun Khan, pleaded guilty yesterday (4 September) to two offences of selling a vape containing more than 2 millilitres of nicotine-containing liquid and one offence of selling a vape without the required labelling.
They also pleaded guilty to possessing for sale 430 vapes containing more than 2ml of nicotine-containing liquid and 226 vapes without the required labelling, instructions or dosage information.
York Magistrates’ Court was told that officers from our trading standards team had visited the premises in The Arcade, Ripon, on two occasions in 2024.
In the first instance in February, 654 illegal products were seized. But despite this, officers who visited the premises again in October were able to buy an illegal vape.
The vape sold to an officer in February 2024 contained 10,000 puffs, about the equivalent to the nicotine in 50 packets of cigarettes, and the vape sold to an officer in October contained 9,000 puffs, approximately equivalent to the nicotine in 45 packets of cigarettes.
The 430 vapes with more than 2ml of nicotine-containing liquid seized from the shop had between 4,000 and 10,000 puffs each, equivalent to the nicotine in between 20 and 50 packets of cigarettes in a single vape.
In the UK, the maximum allowed amount of nicotine-containing liquid in vapes is 2ml. At most, this is about 600 puffs.
As the company had been dissolved after the offences were committed, the court imposed no penalty. However, Khan was fined £350 and ordered to pay costs of £1,871.45 and a court surcharge of £140.
Executive member for managing our environment, Cllr Richard Foster, who has responsibility for trading standards, said the local authority would not hesitate to take action where businesses were found to be flouting the law.
“The subject of vaping has been in the headlines for some considerable time now and shopkeepers should be aware of the laws surrounding the sale of illegal devices,” he said.
“I would ask those who think it is okay to continue to sell them to consider the health implications of selling vapes to minors or those containing huge amounts of nicotine – some of which can be the equivalent of tens of packets of cigarettes in a single device.
“If convicted, they risk receiving a criminal conviction with a significant fine or even imprisonment.”
As well as proactive work from officers, North Yorkshire Council also receives help in the fight against the sale of illegal vapes from communities across the county, a partnership Cllr Foster said he was keen to build on.
“We get complaints from members of the public, as well as information from schools, the police and other partners about shops selling vapes to under 18s or offering illegal vapes,” Cllr Foster said.
“Based on this intelligence and information, our staff then undertake a programme of test purchasing, inspections and seizures. In order to continue to keep people safe, it is vital that people tell us about shops they suspect are selling to young people or which may have illegal products for sale.”
The Citizens Advice Consumer Service is the national reporting centre for trading standards services and can be contacted on 0808 223 1133 Monday to Friday or by web form after 5pm on Fridays via https://referrals.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/forms/general.