The shop could face further sanction following the discovery
Illegal vapes are seized from Booze Butler(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A convenience store where hundreds of illicit vapes were seized by Liverpool Council and Merseyside Police has been shut down by the courts. In June, single-use vapes that were deemed illegal following changes to legislation were found concealed at Booze Buster on Queens Drive.
The vapes were hidden in a filing cabinet and behind kickboards on the shop floor. As a result, the city council’s trading standards team has secured a three month closure order against the business.
Now, it could face further sanction as a review hearing has been called by the local authority that could lead to Booze Butler losing its premises licence altogether. A three-person panel of councillors will convene to decide on its fate later this month.
As of June 1, it is now illegal to sell or supply single-use or disposable vapes throughout the UK. The new legislation applies to all disposable vapes, regardless of whether they contain nicotine, and covers both in-store and online sales.
Upon arrival at Booze Butler in Clubmoor almost three months ago, officers found a 25-year-old worker on duty alone in the shop. Hundreds of single use vapes were concealed behind the till while another box of illicit goods was found in a store room at the back of the shop.
The closure order on Booze Butler
A filing cabinet was also filled to the brim with vapes which were bagged and seized by officials. The worker told officers how the owner of the shop was not present, with him placing a call to the officials to say he was in Birmingham and the items found were in fact old stock.
This didn’t wash with the licensing team. A further discovery was made before officers left the shop with a box of illegal vapes hidden behind a kickboard on the floor near the till.
These were seized as part of a wider operation across three shops in the city. Around £15,000 of illicit devices were recovered from the locations visited.
In Liverpool alone, disposable vapes are particularly popular among young people, with 78% choosing non-rechargeable, non-refillable products.
The ECHO understands a three-month closure order was secured via the magistrates court on August 21.
This was under section 80 of the anti-social behaviour, crime and policing act 2014.
The review hearing before the licensing and gambling sub-committee will be held at Liverpool Town Hall later this month with a date to be confirmed by the city council.