‘Full force of the law’ hits Torbay shops over illegal vapes

Four shops across Torbay have been closed down for selling illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco following a police-led operation to clamp down on dangerous and unlawful trading.

Devon & Cornwall Police, working in partnership with Heart of the South West Trading Standards, secured three-month closure orders at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 17 July.

The shops had previously been warned but continued to trade illegally. The orders can be extended if necessary.

The premises now subject to court-ordered closures are:

• American Shop, 140 Union Street, Torquay

• Palace Mini Market, 36 Palace Avenue, Paignton

• Tower Store, 10a Torquay Road, Paignton

• Paignton Express, 40 Victoria Street, Paignton

Specialist detection dogs helped uncover hidden stashes of illegal products during inspections, some of which had been concealed in purpose-built compartments.

Inspector Rob Harvey of Torquay Police said: “Police will continue to work with colleagues at Trading Standards to take action and reassure the public that information reported to us will be acted upon.

"This is a significant step to get four commercial premises closed on the same day by the court and sends a strong message to businesses that we will not tolerate illegal sales which could harm the public’s health.

"We want to safeguard local communities and respond to concerns. We have found that this type of illegal activity can also harm trade for legitimate local businesses and is often linked to offences of modern-day slavery and exploitation.”

Alex Fry, Operations Manager at Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, added: “We will support businesses that play by the rules but we have had issues with all five businesses with respect to illegal tobacco products and now they are unable to trade for three months.

"Each of the businesses hid the products they were selling and two of the businesses specifically built places to conceal the products. However, our use of detection dogs ensures that these products don’t stay hidden for long.

"This is a great example of how we have worked with our partners in Devon and Cornwall Police to act on intelligence and target unscrupulous sellers.”

Since September last year, police and partners have secured 29 closure orders across Torquay, Newton Abbot, Exeter and surrounding parts of South Devon, targeting both residential and commercial premises.

Councillor Hayley Tranter, Torbay Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Inequalities, said: “I welcome these closures and the partnership working between the police and trading standards that led to this action being taken.

"The products being sold are not just illegal, they’re also extremely dangerous to people’s health.

Rogue businesses should be under no illusion that if they continue to undermine the work of honest traders we will come after them with the full force of the law.”