Council prosecutes seller for illegal vape sales

A Northwich seller has been ordered to pay more than £2,000 for selling a vape to a child following successful prosecutions by Cheshire West and Chester Council's trading standards team.

The hearing took place at Chester Magistrates Court and followed a test purchasing operation carried out by the council on 27th May 2025 during which the vape was sold to a young volunteer under the age of 18. 

Vije Jeyakumar, 35, of Clifton Drive on Northwich, was fined £383, ordered to pay costs of £1,519.92, and a victim surcharge of £153. 

Cllr Stuart Bingham, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Pride, said:

"We’re committed to ensuring our borough remains a safe place where communities can thrive, and this is another strong result for our trading standards team, who work relentlessly to protect residents from harm.

"These cases make it clear that we will take firm action against any retailers who break the law by selling vapes and other age‑restricted products to children.

"We have a responsibility to uphold the law and safeguard our young people, which is why we will continue to do everything in our power to stop businesses in our borough from illegally selling these items."

If you suspect a business is selling age-restricted products such as tobacco, vapes or alcohol to under-18s or products such as fireworks to unders-16s, please report it:  

Reporting to Trading Standards - Citizens Advice.