Two shop owners in North Yorkshire have been fined for selling vapes to a child during a council crackdown on illegal trading. Dean Anthony Mitchell, the owner of Save a Lot in Scarborough, and Marta Monika Olejarcz, the manager of Marta’s European Food in Scarborough, both pleaded guilty to separate offences at the town’s magistrates’ court on Tuesday.
The offences involved selling vapes to a 15-year-old acting as a test purchaser for North Yorkshire Council officers last year. One of the products purchased contained quantities of nicotine liquid that far exceeded legal limits. By law, only individuals over the age of 18 can purchase vapes.
On 11 November, the teenager bought an illegal vape from Mitchell’s shop. The vape contained 9,000 “puffs” and 18 millilitres of nicotine liquid. The maximum quantity of nicotine liquid allowed by law is two millilitres, approximately the same amount found in a packet of cigarettes. Ten days later, officers returned to the shop on Castle Road and found 230 illegal vapes, 214 of which contained more nicotine liquid than permitted. Additionally, sixteen other products lacked legally required information, such as the manufacturer’s name and the amount of nicotine per puff.
Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for the environment, stated: “We are pleased the court recognised the harm that can be caused by the availability of vapes to young people, especially when they contain such huge amounts of nicotine. There are very simple steps a retailer should have in place to ensure they do not sell age-restricted products to a young person. No such precautions were followed in these cases and, in one, the sale was made far worse by the fact that the vape was illegal.”
Mitchell was ordered to pay £769, including fines, a court surcharge, and prosecution costs after pleading guilty to four offences under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. Olejarcz was ordered to pay £361 after pleading guilty to selling a vape to a person under 18 on 11 November at her shop on Victoria Street.
The council’s efforts to curb illegal trading and protect young people from the harmful effects of nicotine continue to be a priority. The legal actions taken against these shop owners serve as a reminder that strict adherence to regulations is essential to safeguard public health.
If you want to know the age restrictions for vaping in different countries, please check out “How Old Do You Have to Be to Vape? A Global Perspective on Legal Age Restrictions”
