Shops fined after vapes illegally sold to teenagers

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The owners of two shops have been hauled into court and fined after vapes were sold to children. Town hall bosses said the NHS has reported harrowing cases involving youngsters vaping - including one who suffered a collapsed lung and another coughing up blood.

The court cases in Wigan followed investigations by the council's trading standards team. Farfan Latifi, from the Local Shop on Lord Street, Leigh, was ordered to pay a total of £620, including a £100 fine, the council said, after being caught selling vapes to a 15-year-old as part of the trading standards investigation.

Habib Hakim, of Kaz Mini Market on Bryn Street, Ashton, was ordered to pay £760, including a £200 fine, after being caught selling a similar product to a 16-year-old, the town hall added.

Both pleaded to the charge they faced and were sentenced at Wigan and Leigh magistrates' court earlier this month. It is illegal to sell e-cigarette or vape products to under-18s.