Business owner hit with £15k bill after a tonne of illegal item discovered

More than 8,000 illegal vapes – weighing a tonne – were seized from a Bolton petrol station, the council has said. The town hall has said that following the massive trading standards haul, a shop owner was ordered to pay more than £15,000 for supplying non-complaint vapes.

Salim Patel, of Salim Patel Limited, trading as Texaco Horwich Service Station, on Chorley New Road, pleaded guilty to supplying illegal vapes at Bolton Magistrates’ Court on December 23.

The council said it was the largest seizure to date within the borough. Trading standards said the vapes seized were illegal, or non-compliant and did not fulfil the legal requirements. They found vapes that exceeded the maximum tank capacity or did not fulfil the labelling requirements. Some contained illegal ingredients.

During 2022 and 2023, trading standards received six complaints regarding suspected illegal vapes being sold at the premises. Four visits were carried out by officers to the shop across a six month period.

In total approximately 7,200 vapes were seized over the four visits. As a result of the seizures, Patel was given a formal caution in November 2023.

However, the council said this did not deter him, and he continued to supply the illegal goods. A further two complaints were received that no-compliant vapes were still being supplied.

Two successful test purchases were carried out by trading standards in December 2023. On December 20, 2023, trading standards obtained a warrant to search the premises and seized around 1,000 illegal vapes stored in trollies behind the counter.

Patel pleaded guilty to all the criminal offences for the supply, and possession for supply, of non-compliant vapes. He was handed a fine of £7,500 and ordered to pay a victim