Police Raid Shops for Selling Illegal E-Cigarettes to Minors

Sep.09.2022
Police Raid Shops for Selling Illegal E-Cigarettes to Minors
Police and trading standards officials conducted raids on shops in Northamptonshire and London for selling illegal e-cigarettes to minors.

Following last week's reported raids in West Yorkshire and Lancashire, police and trade standards officials have raided shops in Northamptonshire and London, which have become the focus of national newspaper reports about providing illegal e-cigarettes to teenagers.


Trade standard officials from the Northwest Northamptonshire County Council carried out a series of test purchases with the help of a 16-year-old girl. The teenager would enter shops and attempt to purchase e-cigarettes in order to determine if the stores were complying with the law banning the sale of such products to underage customers.


Due to complaints received from the public, the Northwest Northamptonshire County Council targeted these shops for test purchases. In August 2022, a total of 13 shops in Northampton and Daventry, and the surrounding areas were investigated.


Twelve out of thirteen stores correctly requested some form of identification before denying service to a girl who couldn't provide it. The unnamed thirteenth store will now face further action as it did not require ID and continued making sales.


The trading standards action taken by the Northamptonshire County Council in the northwest was carried out following similar activities in April 2022.


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