Solihull Council has successfully prosecuted a shop owner for the underage sale of a vaping product.
During an operation carried out by Solihull Trading Standards Officers in January, an ‘Elf Bar’ was sold to underage test purchasers at Michaels Drinks Store (164 Streetsbrook Road, B90 3PH). No age-related checks were carried out.
Under the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 and Children and Families Act 2014, it is a criminal offence to sell vaping products to a person under the age of 18.
The accused failed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Friday 18 August 2023 and the case was heard in their absence. They were fined a total of £1,945, to be paid within 28 days.
Councillor Wazma Qais, Cabinet Member for Communities & Leisure, said:
“We are pleased with yet another successful test purchase prosecution and thank the Council’s Trading Standards team for their continued work to ensure businesses operating in Solihull comply with their legal obligations.
“We will continue to carry out test purchase operations throughout the borough. If you have any trading standards concerns, please report this to Solihull Council on 0121 704 8001.”