Vape shop accused of serving 13-year-olds shut down

A shop accused of selling cigarettes and vapes to children as young as 13 has been shut down.

Vape Shop in Reading was raided by police, HMRC and Trading Standards investigators after concerns were repeatedly raised by parents.

Sniffer dogs found contraband hidden under the shop counter, in the walls, and behind a false shelf and a mirror, the borough council said.

A court order has been obtained meaning the shop must stay closed until February.

Reading Borough Council said the shop on Oxford Road had been subject to a "long investigation" while trading under various names since 2019.

It said it was believed it had acted "as a front for the distribution of illegal tobacco and, more recently, illegal vape pens".

"Reading Trading Standards received numerous complaints from concerned local parents and residents that children as young as 13 were being supplied with cigarettes and vapes," the council said.

The authority said an estimated 115,000 cigarettes were seized and some vape pens were found to falsely advertise a capacity of 15,000 puffs and more than 25 times the legal limit of of nicotine strength.

Councillor Karen Rowland, the authority's lead for environmental services and community safety, said: "The business clearly had no consideration for the health and wellbeing of their customers in the community.

"They were simply running a dangerous business to undercut sales by legitimate shops in the area with the primary interest of lining their own pockets."

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