The owner of Pounds and Pennies on Manchester Road, Northwich, must pay £1,753 after 1,346 illegal vapes were found behind the counter. What the court heard.

The owner of a Northwich shop must pay £1,753 after Trading Standards officers found 1,346 illegal vapes in drawers behind the counter.

Surendranathan Shanmuganathan, 58, who owns Pounds and Pennies on Manchester Road, appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 5 November, Cheshire West and Chester Council said. The court also ordered that every one of the seized vapes be forfeited.

What officers found

Council Trading Standards officers made an unannounced inspection of the shop on 26 June 2025. They seized 1,346 electronic cigarettes which, the council says, broke the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, the Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024, or both. The 2024 rules are the ones behind the ban on disposable vapes.

The products were stored in drawers behind the shop counter. Investigators established that Mr Shanmuganathan had been responsible for the premises since January 2019.

What he told investigators

He did not attend a voluntary interview under caution and sent a prepared statement instead, the council said. In it, he said the vapes had been left at the shop by a door-to-door vape seller and were not offered for sale.

The inspecting officers did not accept that reading. They found the vapes arranged by brand and by flavour, and stored in varying quantities, which they believed showed the stock was intended for supply.

What he has to pay

Item Amount
Fine £615
Prosecution costs £892
Victim surcharge £246
Total £1,753

What the council said

Councillor Stuart Bingham, the council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Pride, said: “Illegal vaping products undermine legitimate businesses, can pose risks to consumers and have no place in our communities.

“Our officers regularly carry out inspections and investigations to identify businesses that are not complying with the law. Where appropriate, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action to protect consumers and support responsible retailers.

“We will continue working to remove illegal products from sale and help protect residents, particularly young people, from potentially unsafe and unregulated goods.”

The council says its Trading Standards and Legal teams work with partner agencies on illegal tobacco and vapes, and that cases like this one help keep age-restricted products away from children.

It is the latest of several cases in the borough this autumn. Last week we reported that 21,140 illegal cigarettes were seized from four premises in Northwich and Winsford, and in October the council shut Kubus on Frodsham Street in Chester.

Want to stop smoking or vaping?

The council and Brio Leisure run a free stop smoking service, Go Smokefree, for anyone living in Cheshire West and Chester:

  • You can refer yourself. No GP referral is needed.
  • 12 weeks of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy, plus behavioural support for as long as you feel you need it.
  • One-to-one sessions at 18 venues across the borough, or support by phone, text or through Brio’s Facebook page.
  • Get in touch: call 0300 777 0033, email wellbeing@brioleisure.org or visit Brio’s smoking cessation page, and an adviser will get back to you.