Four stores closed for selling illegal vapes

Devon and Cornwall police say the shops will be closed for three months

Four Devon shops have been closed for selling illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco following an operation by police.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers had worked with Heart of the South West Trading Standards to stop the sale of illegal products.

It said this had resulted in four shops in Torbay being shut for three months, with an extension if necessary.

The shops had previously been warned about what they were selling and continued to trade illegally, the force said.

'Safeguard local communities'

Plymouth Magistrates' Court granted the closure orders for the shops at a hearing on Thursday, police said.

They added this came after previous inspections revealed stashes of illegal products, which were revealed with the help of specialist detection dogs.

Insp Rob Harvey said: "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."

He added: "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."

Devon and Cornwall Police said the premises subjected to closure orders were:

• American shop, 140 Union Street, Torquay

• Palace Mini Market, 36 Palace Ave, Paignton

• Tower Store, 10a Torquay Road, Paignton

• Paignton Express, 40 Victoria Street, Paignton

Alex Fry, local Trading Standards operations manager, added: "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."

There have been a total of 28 closure orders, commercial and residential, across Torquay, Newton, Exeter and surrounding areas of South Devon in the last 12 months, Devon and Cornwall Police said.