A vape shop has been slapped with a closure order after it was found to be selling illegal vapes to potentially underage customers, a council says.

The closure order was granted against Vape-E-Licious, in St Chads Road, Tilbury, during a hearing at Basildon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday September 5.

Thurrock Council Trading Standards found and confiscated suspected illegal vapes from the shop during a visit in June 2023.

They returned a few weeks later and claimed the business was selling a supply of the illicit e-cigarettes from the boot of a car.

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The shop also failed to ask for ID during a Challenge 25 test purchase, the council says, and even sold an illegal vape to the young person carrying out the test.

George Coxshall, councillor responsible for health, adult social care, community and public protection, said: “This closure order will prevent an unscrupulous trader from selling illegal and potentially health damaging products in the borough.

“The fact that they would hide vapes they knew to be illegal and then attempt to sell them from the boot of a car shows flagrant disregard for the safety rules and the wellbeing of their customers.

“Our Trading Standards officers work hard to make sure that illicit goods are not available for sale in the borough. This is an example of the action they will take to prevent dangerous items from reaching residents and to make sure that underage children do not have access to potentially harmful products.”