Flavour Vapes in Bishop Auckland faces a three-month closure as Durham County Council intensifies its crackdown on illegal tobacco and vapes.
The council sought a court order after seizing illicit products at the shop in Newgate Street worth over £6,000, including cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco, and electronic cigarettes.
This marks the thirteenth shop closed across the county by the council for illicit tobacco sales since January 2018, with ten of these closures occurring in 2022.
In total, these closures amount to 51 months, with extensions adding another 13 months.
Additionally, since March 2022, the council has confiscated more than 6,500 illegal vapes valued at £80,000.
Durham County Council is committed to supporting government initiatives to create a smoke-free generation and combat youth vaping.
Gary Carr, the council’s strategic regulation manager, emphasised the negative impact of illicit tobacco and vapes on health, children’s access to such products, anti-smoking and vaping efforts, and the rise of criminal activities in communities.
The legal action against Flavour Vapes began when trading standards officers visited the shop in October.
They discovered ‘Big Puff’ vapes with a 10ml liquid capacity and 4,000 puffs, violating the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, which allows a 2ml liquid capacity and approximately 600 puffs.
Officers returned the next day, but the person responsible fled, leading to a formal warning for breaching regulations.
A test purchase conducted nine days later confirmed the sale of ‘Big Puff’ vapes and illicit tobacco after 6pm.
Another test purchase the following month resulted in the sale of a 9,000 puff vape and two suspected counterfeit cigarette packets.
A December warrant led to the discovery of counterfeit tobacco products, vapes not intended for UK sale, and the seizure of £1,145.82 as criminal proceeds.
Two men were arrested, with one admitting to selling illicit tobacco and promoting illegal vapes.
The shop’s seized items were valued at £6,265, with vapes accounting for £4,465 of that total.
On 5 January, officers returned to find more illegal vapes, suspected counterfeit cigarettes, and hand-rolling tobacco, all confiscated.
The court has imposed a closure order in effect until April 8.
In a December full council meeting, a motion supporting the Government’s “Stopping the Start” consultation was passed, advocating for raising the legal age for tobacco sales and stricter regulations on the promotion, packaging, branding, and pricing of vapes to deter children and young people. The motion reiterated that the council remains steadfast in its commitment to eradicate the illicit tobacco and vaping trade.