Preston newsagent fined £4,000 after breaching vape and tobacco sales ban
A Preston newsagent has been fined £4,000 after breaching a court order banning the sale of vapes and tobacco products.
ON Newsagents, on Orchard Street in Preston, which previously traded as EN Newsagents, was prohibited from selling nicotine products earlier this year after repeatedly selling vapes to underage customers.
Lancashire County Council’s Trading Standards team secured a Restricted Premises Order against the business in May 2025 following a series of test purchases over an 18-month period between 2022 and 2023.
During that time, officers sent in underage volunteers – including a 15-year-old in school uniform – who were able to buy vapes from the shop on three occasions.
The court order, which came into effect on May 13 and ran until August 12, banned all sales of tobacco and nicotine products from the store.
However, Preston Magistrates’ Court heard that on July 10, an undercover Trading Standards officer successfully bought two e-liquids from the shop, in direct breach of the ban.
The seller and owner, Arif Patel, initially denied making the sale and claimed he did not work at the shop.
After an investigation, he pleaded guilty on November 5 to breaching the order.
He was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £1,837 in costs and a victim surcharge.
Councillor Joshua Roberts, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities, said the case showed the authority’s determination to act against law-breaking traders.
“This store has repeatedly shown their complete disregard for the law, first by selling vapes to children and then by breaching an order aimed at protecting the community,” he said.
"We will not hesitate to take the strongest action against businesses who flout the rules.
"The shop was ordered by the courts not to sell nicotine and tobacco products and continued to do so. The £4,000 fine imposed by the courts reflects that such contempt by a retailer will be viewed seriously."
Anyone who suspects a business is selling age-restricted products such as cigarettes or vapes to children can report it via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or through the Lancashire County Council website.