A forecourt business and its director face penalties of £8,614 after pleading guilty to repeatedly selling illegal disposable vapes.
Go Fuels Ltd, trading as Limes Service Station of Manchester Road, Walkden, and its director Hassan Mohammed were prosecuted under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, Trade Marks Act 1994, Consumer Protection Act 1987, following inspections by Salford City Council’s Trading Standards.
In court, the council said there had been four enforcement actions against the business:
- In September 2022, officers seized 1,082 non-compliant disposable vapes from the premises, which were voluntarily signed over for destruction.
- In August 2023, they confiscated a further 1,018 non-compliant disposable vapes.
- In November 2023, officers seized 1,285 non-compliant disposable vapes.
- In January 2024, they took away 703 non-compliant disposable vapes.
The council said that the total of more than 4,000 vapes confiscated during these visits were found to breach multiple safety, labelling, and nicotine content regulations. Many products also bore registered trademarks applied without the consent of the trademark owners, misleading consumers and infringing intellectual property laws, said the council.
During the January 2024 inspection, trading standards officers scanned the illegal vapes through the shop’s point of sale system, confirming they were being sold at £11.99 each as part of the business’s day-to-day operations.
The case at Wigan Magistrates Court saw guilty pleas from both the director and business on all nine offences they were charged with.
Magistrates said that due to the repeated breaches and significant risk posed to public health, they were imposing a penalty of £8,614, comprising a £2,790 fine for the director, representing £930 for each day of offending; costs of £1,500 against the company and £3,208 against the director; and a victim surcharge of £1,116, which the director must pay.
Salford City Council councillor Barbara Bentham, lead member for neighbourhoods, environment and community safety, says: “This case highlights our commitment to protecting consumers from illegal and unsafe products. Businesses that repeatedly ignore the law not only put consumers at risk but also undermine legitimate traders. We will continue to take firm action to stop the sale of illegal vapes in our area.”
