Selling Vapes to Minors: Nottingham Results Are a Wake-Up Call

Seven out of nine businesses in Nottingham sold vapes to minors during supervised test purchases. Nottinghamshire Police and Trading Standards revealed the findings earlier this month. Volunteers under 18 carried out the purchases under close supervision. The exercise was part of a targeted enforcement operation. The results point to a serious failure in age verification across the city.

Matt Shannon is executive member for community protection at Nottingham City Council. He described the “high failure rate” as “deeply alarming”. He said too many retailers were “failing in their legal responsibilities.”

What the Law Says About Underage Vape Sales

Under the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015, selling vaping products to anyone under 18 is a criminal offence. Retailers must also operate Challenge 25 policies. Any customer who appears younger than 25 must be asked to show valid proof of age. That check must happen before a sale can go ahead.

The law is not ambiguous. Yet a 78 per cent failure rate in Nottingham suggests retailers are either ignoring it or are unaware of what it demands.

Operation Reclaim Targets Underage Vape Sales

The test purchases were part of Operation Reclaim. It is Nottinghamshire Police’s initiative targeting crime in Nottingham city centre. The seven businesses that failed are now under further investigation. They could face formal prosecution and additional compliance visits.

Chief Inspector Kylie Davies made the position of the force clear. “Any business which fails to act responsibly will be dealt with accordingly. We have already closed four vape shops in and around the city centre as part of Op Reclaim, which is tackling criminality, including business crime.”

Those closures show that enforcement has moved well beyond warnings.

The Scale of Youth Nicotine Use in the UK

The Nottingham case does not sit in isolation. Figures from NHS England show that around one in five secondary school pupils tried vaping in 2024. That compares with roughly one in eleven in 2018. The rise has been steep and consistent.

Nicotine exposure in adolescence carries serious risks. It interferes with brain development. It also creates a pattern of dependence that is very difficult to break. Young people who begin using nicotine products early are far more likely to become long-term users. Selling vapes to minors is not a minor offence. It feeds directly into that pattern.

Retailers Are Not Meeting Their Obligations

The Challenge 25 policy places the duty of age verification firmly on the retailer. It is there because young people often look older than they are. Asking for ID is a legal requirement, not a discretionary step.

A failure rate of 78 per cent in these purchases suggests many shops are not taking that requirement seriously. Some may lack proper staff training. Others may be prioritising sales over compliance. Neither explanation makes the outcome acceptable.

Trading standards operations serve a direct purpose. They show which businesses are following the law and which are not. They also put the wider retail sector on notice. Selling vapes to minors carries real consequences.

What Needs to Happen Now

The businesses that failed in Nottingham now face investigation and possible prosecution. Enforcement is essential. But it works best alongside proper training and clear retailer guidance on legal requirements.

Schools, families and communities also have a part to play. Young people need accurate information about the risks of nicotine. The harm is real, and it begins early. Enforcement actions like those in Nottingham are a necessary step. They are not, on their own, sufficient.

Source: bbc