A Walkden business and directors have been prosecuted for the repeated sale of illegal disposable vapes, resulting in fines totalling £8,614.
Go Fuels Ltd, trading as Limes Service Station of Manchester Road, Walkden, and its Director Hassan Mohammed faced offences under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, Trademarks Act 1994, Consumer Protection Act 1987.
Guilty pleas were provided by both the Director and business on all of the nine offences, and they were each charged at Wigan Magistrates Court resulting in costs and fines totalling £8,614.
The prosecution follows series of inspections by Salford City Council’s Trading Standards team, following multiple complaints received regarding the sale of illegal disposable vapes in Salford.
In September 2022, officers seized 1,082 non-compliant disposable vapes from the premises, which were voluntarily signed over for destruction.
And in August 2023, officers seized a further 1,018 non-compliant disposable vapes.
Further investigations in November 2023, saw officers seize 1,285 non-compliant disposable vapes, with an additional 703 non-compliant disposable vapes being seized in January 2024.
The total of over 4,000 illegal disposable vapes seized 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.
During the January 2024 inspection, Salford City Council’s 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.
Councillor Barbara Bentham, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Community Safety said: “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.”
Guilty pleas were provided by both the Director and business on all of the nine offences they were each charged.
Reflecting the serious nature of repeated breaches and the significant risk posed to public health, the court imposed a total penalty of £8,614.
The penalty was broken down with a £930 fine for each day of offending totalling to £2,790 against the Director.
The penalty also included the costs with the £1,500 being taken against the company, and £3,208 against the Director – with a victim surcharge also included, that saw Director Hassan Mohammed also pay £1,116.
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