West Midlands shop owner handed £2k court bill after worker 'thought vape customer was 20 years old'
A shop owner in Walsall was fined nearly £2,000 after an underage volunteer purchased a vape due to a lack of age verification.Summary
A shop owner in the West Midlands, Mr. Aryan Kadiri, received a court bill totaling £1,924 after a worker, Miss Rehana Azmi, sold a vape to two customers under the age of 18. The incident occurred during a test purchasing exercise conducted by Walsall Council's trading standards department on July 9th. Despite receiving prior guidance on preventing underage sales, including 'Challenge 25' posters and a refusals register, the shop failed to implement age verification procedures. Miss Azmi admitted she wasn't concentrating and mistakenly believed the customers were around 20 years old. Mr. Kadiri did not engage with the investigation or attend court. Both were fined, highlighting the council’s commitment to enforcing age-restricted product sales laws.
(Source：Birmingham Live)
