Reading Vape Shop Shut Down Amid Allegations of Sales to Minors

A retail establishment in Reading, Vape Shop, has been closed following accusations of selling cigarettes and vapes to children as young as 13. The premises were raided by police, HMRC, and Trading Standards investigators after parents repeatedly voiced their concerns. The borough council reported that sniffer dogs discovered contraband hidden beneath the shop counter, inside the walls, and behind a false shelf and a mirror. A court order has been secured, mandating the shop’s closure until February. Reading Borough Council stated that the shop, located on Oxford Road, had been the subject of a “long investigation” since 2019, during which it operated under various names. The council indicated its belief that the business had functioned “as a front for the distribution of illegal tobacco and, more recently, illegal vape pens.” The council further noted that “Reading Trading Standards received numerous complaints from concerned local parents and residents that children as young as 13 were being supplied with cigarettes and vapes.” The authority confirmed the seizure of an estimated 115,000 cigarettes and the discovery of certain vape pens that falsely advertised a capacity of 15,000 puffs and contained over 25 times the legal limit of nicotine strength. Councillor Karen Rowland, the authority’s lead for environmental services and community safety, commented: “The business clearly had no consideration for the health and wellbeing of their customers in the community.” She added, “They were simply running a dangerous business to undercut sales by legitimate shops in the area with the primary interest of lining their own pockets.”