AN OLTON shop has been fined after the business and its director were found guilty of selling illegal disposable vapes.
Abdul Qadar, aged 32 of Edgbaston Road, Birmingham, and his business – Vapourmist Ltd at 43 Warwick Road – were found guilty of selling illegal disposable vapes.
They were fined £9,000 which was reduced to £6,000 for an early guilty plea, plus £2,700 costs and £2,400 victim surcharge (total £11,100) at Birmingham Magistrates Court.
Qadar was also given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £26 victim surcharge in 14 days.
The prosecution follows an inspection carried out by staff at Solihull Council’s Trading Standards Team last January.
The team seized 472 disposable vapes which were in excess of the legal tank size limit. 65 of the vapes were also shown to contain nicotine despite the product packaging stating clearly that ‘This product does not contain any nicotine’.
Councillor Wazma Qais, cabinet member for Communities, said: “Selling illegal vapes at low prices can make the products attractive to children and encourage vaping at an early age. Not only that but many of the seized vapes contained illegal amounts of nicotine.
“Businesses that ignore the law and sell these illegal products face prosecution, fines and even imprisonment.
“I would like to thank the Council’s Trading Standards team for their continued work to ensure businesses operating in Solihull comply with their legal obligations, and for following up this complaint successfully. The resident’s complaint and the team’s actions have ensured that these harmful products will not be sold.”
Residents who are concerned about a business selling illegal and dangerous products can contact Solihull Council’s Trading Standards team by calling Citizens Advice on 0808 278 7976 or visit the Citizens Advice website where the complaint will be directed to the Council.
