Shops hit with fines for selling kids vapes

MORE than 40 shops have been fined after being caught selling vapes to children.

- STUART MACDONALD

Spot checks by Trading Standards officers in South Lanarkshire revealed under-18s were sold them at 44 shops more than a third of those visited.

In the last year, test purchases were made at 125 premises using volunteers under the age of 18.

Trading Standards officers worked with the young volunteers in tightly controlled test purchase situations to check if retailers asked for proof of age where appropriate and, if this was not produced, then refused to sell.

Where follow-up visits were conducted, 11 of the 44 outlets repeatedly sold vapes to young volunteers without asking for age ID.

This was despite these premises being given a fixed penalty fine of £200 in the initial round of visits.