Three shops closed over illegal vapes and tobacco

The three stores operate in Newmarket in Suffolk

Three shops that sold illegal vapes and tobacco have been issued with three-month closure orders, a council has confirmed.

The stores in Newmarket, Suffolk, had been found to be selling the products despite warnings from the police and the local trading standards team.

The Orange Shop in Crown Walk, Newmarket Express in Wellington Street and High Street New Market Ltd in the High Street were the shops involved.

In total, 16,950 packets of illegal tobacco, 14kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco and 4,600 illegal vapes were seized from the three shops.

Businesses must only sell vapes and tobacco that meet UK standards. Disposable vapes for example, which cannot be recharged, are illegal.

Suffolk Trading Standards said the shop owners were warned earlier this year over selling illicit tobacco and non-compliant vaping products.

But in a follow-up inspection, all three were again found to still be selling the products.

At one of the shops, a police sniffer dog discovered a secret hideaway in a wall in which further illegal tobacco was uncovered.

West Suffolk Council applied for a closure order for each of the businesses at Ipswich Magistrates' Court, to prevent the stores from opening for the next three months.

The stores have been ordered to close for three months

Donna Higgins, cabinet member for families and communities at West Suffolk Council, said: "Community safety must continue to be our priority. Many illegal vapes do not meet safety regulations and contain higher levels of nicotine or other unknown and potentially harmful ingredients.

"Today's court order should act as a warning to any others that we will take action to protect our communities from these harmful, illegal products."