Wolverhampton shop could lose licence after selling alcohol and e-cigarette to 13-year-old

The Saver Express in Finchfield was also found to have more than 150 illegal vapes on the premises when Trading Standards officers visited.

The council received a complaint about the sale on October 27 last year, and Trading Standards decided to pay a visit to the store, in Finchfield Road West – which falls within the Tettenhall Regis ward – as part of an organised underage sales test purchase exercise on November 25.

Several retailers in Wolverhampton were tested in relation to whether they were carrying out required age verification checks on customers who attempted to purchase age-restricted products.

In a statement to licensing bosses, Trading Standards district officer Gurdip Gill said: “Two underage authorised child volunteers, one of whom was 13-years-old and the other who was 16, went into the shop on behalf of the council and were able to buy a disposable Elfbar Mango Flavour 600 puffs nicotine vape and a 250ml can of Sminoff Vodka and Cola with an ABV of five per cent.

“There was no challenge in relation to their age from the sales assistant. The sale was witnessed by two officers from the council who were in the shop at the time.

“After leaving, the volunteers handed the age-restricted products they had been sold to a Trading Standards officer who duly placed them into an evidence bag and sealed it.

“The child volunteers were asked to produce identification and were refused age-restricted products at all other shops that were visited that day. After the sale, council officers went into the shop to discuss the underage transaction that had taken place.

“A Trading Standards officer spoke to the member of staff behind the counter, and she was informed that she had just sold age-restricted products to children under 18. She said that the shop owner’s name was Rajinder Singh and provided his contact details so the officer could speak to him."

The Trading Standards officer went on to say that during the visit, more than 150 vapes were discovered at the shop which "appeared to have a larger nicotine tank" than is permitted in the UK.

Gurdip continued: "The labelling on the vapes said they ranged from 4,000 to 9,000 puffs. This is likely to exceed the 2ml tank capacity which is about 600 puffs. These items are not allowed in the UK and may have been smuggled in.

“Rajinder Singh admitted he knew the products were illicit and agreed to voluntarily surrender the oversized vapes for destruction. They were accordingly bagged up and taken away by Trading Standards.

“Also, there was no premises licence on display. This was on a high shelf obscured by products. A trader’s notice was issued to Rajinder Singh on behalf of the business.

"As the named premises licence holder, Sonia Kaur has engaged in activities which have breached the licensing objectives of ‘the prevention of crime and disorder’ and ‘the protection of children from harm’.

“The recommendation of Trading Standards is that the licensing sub-committee considers revoking or suspending the premises licence to allow for the robust retraining of all staff.”

Section leader for licensing, Amitabh Singh, said the evidence shows a "disregard for public safety" by the premises.

Amitabh continued: "The licensing authority has concerns over the premises licence holder Sonia Kaur, and also the designated premises supervisor, as the evidence provided by Trading Standards indicates that the shop is not adhering to its legal obligations.

“The evidence shows a disregard for public safety and the law by both. If councillors are satisfied that illegal activities have taken place at the premises in breach of upholding the licensing objectives, then we request that the licensing sub-committee ensure these issues are addressed.

“Councillors may conclude from the evidence given within the application and at the hearing, that modification or suspension of the licence to ensure the current management fully understands their roles and responsibilities, is not a suitable option and that there is no alternative but to revoke the licence.”

Senior Public Health specialist, Ryan Hollings, added: "We have very serious concerns regarding the illicit vapes displayed and the sale of age-restricted items to children under 18.

"With the breaches of the licensing conditions that have been reported, Public Health is not reassured that the business is operating in adherence to the Licensing Act."

Kayley Nixon, licensing officer for West Midlands Police, added: "The premises licence holder must ensure that staff are made aware of the existence and content of the age verification policy which applies to the premises.

"The government believes that it is completely unacceptable to sell alcohol to children."

A review of the shop’s licence premises, applied for by Trading Standards, will be heard by the council’s statutory licensing sub-committee on Thursday. All relevant parties have been invited to attend.