A Loughborough shop which was found to be selling illegal tobacco and illegal vapes has been closed for four weeks, following a joint operation by Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards service and Leicestershire Police.
Roman Express, in Church Gate, must close until 19 November under the terms of an order granted at Leicester Magistrates Court on Monday 21 October.
The closure application was made after Trading Standards officers and police seized illegal tobacco and vapes from the business on three separate occasions between July and August 2024, which resulted in 313 packets of tobacco and 1,142 vapes being confiscated.
A number of the vapes were being sold as containing no nicotine, but it was discovered following tests that they did actually contain nicotine, and had been deliberately mislabelled, in a deliberate attempt to bypass legislation contained in the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.
Trading Standards officers also conducted an underage sales test purchase at Roman Express in August 2024, when the young person was not only sold a vape without being challenged, but the vape was itself also illegal.
Magistrates granted the closure order under Section 80 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which prevents anyone from entering the address. Anyone who breaches it is liable to be prosecuted.
Large posters explaining that the business has been closed down due to illegal activity on the premises have been posted on the shop’s windows by Trading Standards officers.
Gary Connors, head of Leicestershire Trading Standards service, said: “Our Trading Standards officers are actively tackling the trade in illegal cigarettes and illicit vapes, which help to fund criminality.
“Roman Express also sold an illegal vape to a person under 18. Working in partnership with Leicestershire Police, we will use all means at our disposal to disrupt those who seek to put our local community at a public health risk. The business will close for four weeks, and thereafter will be monitored if the premises reopen for business.
“Selling cheap or illicit cigarettes steals trade from our legitimate retailers who lose trade to rogue shopkeepers. All smoking is dangerous, but smoking illegal tobacco could potentially be even more harmful to health because the trade in counterfeit and illicit tobacco is unregulated, so there is no control over what is mixed with the tobacco.
“Illegal vapes and cigarettes are sourced from unregulated suppliers, which may make them more toxic than the legitimate ones. Previous tests on illegal vapes have found that they contain high levels of arsenic, lead and formaldehyde. Legitimate vapes will be registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, and legal products can be viewed on their website.
“An easy way to spot an illegal vape is the size of the tank that holds the e-liquid – a legal vape should be sold with a 2ml tank, which will give approximately 600 puffs, but the vape can also be sold with a 10ml refill. If there is no 2ml tank, then it is likely to be illegal.
“We will continue to clamp down on the sale of illicit cigarettes and vapes, as well as underage sales, to protect Leicestershire residents from traders who break the law.
“We really appreciate members of the public reporting suspicions of illicit or cheap vapes and tobacco sales.”
Inspector Charlotte Dickens, commander of the Charnwood Neighbourhood Policing Area (NPA), said: “We know that money raised from the sale of counterfeit items – including vapes and tobacco – is often used to fund organised crime and other illicit activities.
"Working alongside our colleagues from Leicestershire County Council, I’m pleased that we’ve been able to close this shop and prevent further sales from being made.
“I hope those living in our community feel reassured by the action we’ve taken and will continue to support us by making us aware of any issues or concerns.”
Illegal sales of vapes and tobacco can be reported to Leicestershire Trading Standards anonymously.