Shop fined for selling vape to undercover 15-year-old

A convenience store has been fined nearly £5,000 after a sales assistant sold a vape to a 15-year-old during an undercover operation.

Ivor Paris, the director of Newport Premier Ltd, pleaded guilty on behalf of the business at Telford Magistrates' Court and was given a £1,666 fine, a £660 victim surcharge, and was ordered to pay £2,266 in costs.

The operation was launched by Telford and Wrekin Council's trading standards team after the authority received reports of underage sales at the store in Newport High Street in Shropshire.

The authority said the 15-year-old volunteer was able to buy a strawberry ice cream-flavoured vape without being asked for proof of age.

The trading standards team also found that the sales assistant who made the sale in August last year had been left unsupervised after two days of employment and had not received any training, the council added.

It said a lack of training for staff and insufficient measures to prevent the sale of age-restricted products to minors were among the "major failings" revealed by the team.

Councillor Richard Overton said the prosecution "sends a clear message".

"Let this case serve as a reminder: ignorance is no excuse when it comes to protecting minors from harmful products," Overton added.

The authority encouraged residents to report underage sales via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.

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