Oldham shopkeeper caught selling e-cig liquid to a child

Tameside Magistrates Court, Picture Courtesy of Google Street View

A shop owner, from Rochdale, who sold e-cig liquid to a child, at his Oldham shop, has been fined by Magistrates.

It was back on the 3rd November when Oldham’s Trading Standards Team carried out a test purchasing operation, which involved a 16-year-old volunteer attempting to buy a nicotine inhaling product.

Under the law you have to be at least 18 to buy products that contain nicotine.

The volunteer went into Royton Korner Shop, Middleton Road, Royton and was sold a NVee Pro Blackcurrant premium e-liquid (3mg/ml) by Saghir Akhtar.

On Wednesday 1st May 2019 at Tameside Magistrates’ Court the 40-year-old of King Street East, Rochdale pleaded guilty by post to one charge under the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015

He was fined £165, ordered to pay costs of £2,565 plus a victim surcharge of £30.

Councillor Arooj Shah, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “Smoking is an unhealthy habit, even if it is an e-cig, so selling nicotine products to our young people is a very serious offence.

“We don’t want our children getting into bad habits so if you suspect anyone is selling products to underage people then please let us know and we’ll look to take action.”

Sales of underage tobacco can be reported www.keep-it-out.co.uk or by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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