Newport shop loses licence after selling vape to teenager

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 19:39 · Archive

A Newport convenience store has had its licence suspended after selling a vape to a 14-year-old during a Trading Standards test purchase.

A Newport convenience store has had its premises licence suspended for one month after a 14-year-old successfully bought a vape during a Trading Standards test purchase in September. The test was prompted by public complaints that Sunny Express on Malpas Road had sold alcohol to underage customers in May.

When council officers investigated the earlier complaints, they found problems with the shop's CCTV system and only obtained footage after warning the shopkeeper, Thisa Sachithanantham, of potential legal action. Licensing officers told the council's licensing committee that the failed test purchase represented 'repeated concerns regarding age-restricted sales [and] the operation of the Challenge 25 policy' at the store. Under Challenge 25, staff should ask customers who appear under 25 to show identification before selling age-restricted products.

Licensing officer Llyr Roberts said the CCTV footage showed the policy was being applied 'ineffectively'. Committee member Cllr Debbie Harvey noted that it was 'clear to see that they are 14' in some of the images shown. Mr Sachithanantham told the committee he had run the business for five years and knew most regular customers and their ages, insisting that those shown in the footage were 'at least 20-plus'. Trading Standards officer Vicki Cole confirmed that the teenager who made the test purchase did not appear in the CCTV footage presented to the meeting.

How it is being reported

• Newport shop loses licence for underage vape salesA member of the public had earlier claimed that alcohol was sold to an underage group of customersWalesOnline · 29 Oct, 19:13
• What happened when a 14-year-old was sent into a shop to buy a vapeNewport shop Sunny Express has had its premises licence suspended for one month after a 14-year-old bought a vape in a Trading Standards test purchase.South Wales Argus · 28 Oct, 18:00

In this story: Sunny Express · Newport · Thisa Sachithanantham · Trading Standards

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log