Maidenhead shop fined £3,000 for selling illegal vapes

By: Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter

The owner of a town centre shop has been fined almost £3,000 for selling illegal vapes following a council prosecution.

Some 52 illegal vaping products were seized from the K&B Convenience Store on King Street in Maidenhead by trading standards officers last year. Bhaumikbai Patel, 37, of Berkeley Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to charges relating to product requirements and labelling.

The council said its staff had done a ‘great job’ in securing his prosecution. Andrew Durrant, Executive Director of Place Services, said: “We take sales of illegal vaping products incredibly seriously and our Trading Standards have done a great job delivering this successful prosecution.

“Clamping down on illegal vaping products is essential to protect users from products which do not comply with UK requirements. The sale of illegal products also provides an unfair trading advantage over the vast majority of other shops, which fully comply with all legal requirements.”

The vaping products were illegal because they did not comply with product requirements in that they contained a bigger volume of nicotine-containing liquid than is permitted – the maximum permitted volume for disposable electronic cigarettes is two millilitres, these were 10 millilitres.

They were also not correctly labelled in that the health warning was smaller than required and therefore not sufficiently prominent.

Mr Patel must pay total fines of £600, a victim surcharge of £240 and the Royal Borough’s costs of £595. KK&P Limited must pay total fines of £600, a victim surcharge of £240 and the Royal Borough’s costs of £595.

(Local Democracy Reporting Service)