A Selhurst shopkeeper has been fined more than £5,000 after selling a vape to a 15-year-old during a Croydon Council test purchasing operation.
Sailesh Katelia, director of Whitehorse Stores Ltd on Whitehorse Road, pleaded guilty on behalf of the company. The court ordered him to pay a £2,500 fine, prosecution costs of £1,959, and a victim surcharge of £1,000 – totalling £5,459.
The sale took place on 7 November 2024 when trading standards officers sent a 15-year-old volunteer into the shop. The vape was sold without any age check.
Mr Katelia told the court that he believed the young person looked old enough to buy the vape.
“Making Croydon’s streets cleaner, safer and healthier is my priority and we will continue to take enforcement action where traders breach their legal duties.
Our trading standards team help make our streets safer for our residents. I hope other businesses will take heed and will work with us to protect children from accessing products they are not old enough to have.”
– Jason Perry, Conservative Mayor of Croydon
Businesses can contact the council for advice on preventing underage sales, or for any other trading standards support.
If you believe a business is selling restricted products to underage customers, you can report it to Citizens Advice Consumer Line on 0808 223 1133 or by emailing [email protected].
