Concerns over illegal vape sales in Horsham: MP writes to West Sussex County Council’s trading standards

MP Jeremy Quin announced today (Monday, September 11) that he has written to West Sussex County Council’s trading standards and has urged local shops to act responsibly.

He said: “I have become concerned about increasing evidence of vapes being sold locally to people under the age of 18 and I know I am not alone. I wrote to West Sussex County Council’s Trading Standards asking what action they are taking against those retailers selling vapes illegally.”

He said: “WSCC have informed me that where a trader is found to have sold age restricted products to a child during a test operation and has an alcohol licence then Trading Standards will apply for a review of the alcohol licence in addition to any formal action that may be taken against the trader. This clearly has potentially very significant implications.”

Mr Quin is encouraging anyone who thinks a local retailer may be selling age-restricted products to underage customers to raise their concerns with WSCC’s Trading Standards.

The UK Government recently announced a new ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ at a national level, which is led by Trading Standards and backed by £3 million of funding. The squad aims to help enforce the rules on vaping and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales.