Solihull shop has licence suspended after Elf Bar sold to 16-year-old

By Tom Cramp, Local Democracy Reporter

A shop in Solihull has had its licence temporarily suspended after an Elf Bar vape was sold to an underage customer. Police and council officers said staff at Michaels Drinks Store on Streetsbrook Road showed a ‘lack of respect’ and behaved ‘irresponsibly’.

The shop was the subject of a Solihull Council licensing hearing last week after it was caught selling the vaping product to a 16-year-old volunteer. When confronted, the staff member who had sold the vape initially refused to give a name, which ‘aggravated the concerns’ of officers.

As a result, the council decided to suspend the licence for four weeks. The premises licence holder and the designated premises supervisor were also removed.

The shop will also have to implement a series of precautions before it reopens such as better CCTV and the keeping of a refusals register. Staff will undergo further Challenge 25 training.

In its decision, Solihull Council said: “Members were particularly concerned that management, as well as a store assistant, failed to co-operate with officers when refusing to give their name.  This was further aggravated when the assistant again refused to give his name to the special constable.

“Due to the lack of co-operation, lack of respect to officers and irresponsible behaviour they decided to remove the Premises Licence Holder and the Designated Premises Supervisor. They also felt it was necessary and appropriate that the premises licence be suspended for 4 weeks.”

Michaels Drinks Store is the latest corner shop to be caught selling vaping products to underage customers in the West Midlands. In January, a shop in Yardley came under scrutiny after a 14-year-old was able to purchase one, while a 16-year-old bought one unchallenged at a shop in Lozells last year.