Local company and its owner ordered to pay over £15,000 for selling illegal vapes and incorrectly labelled food products

A local company and its owner have been ordered to pay over £15,000 for continuing to sell single use vapes after the ban was introduced last summer and for selling incorrectly labelled food products. 

Mr Adam Casper pleaded guilty to five offences on behalf of himself and his company Beatie Enterprises Ltd, which operates Incredible Vapes on May Day Green, Barnsley (S70 1SH), last Thursday (29 January) at Barnsley Magistrates Court. 

Covering offences relating to the Food Safety Act, Tobacco and Related Products Regulations and the Environmental Protection Regulations around single use vapes, the company was ordered to pay £13,310 in fines and costs. 

Mr Casper, who accepted responsibility for the issues at the town centre shop, was also ordered to pay £2,515 in fines and costs for his role in the company. 

Last June, our Trading Standards team conducted a series of visits to town centre businesses to check compliance with the new legislation introduced as part of the single use vape ban. 

During these visits, they found that the store still had these illegal vapes available for sale. They also found food items for sale that didn’t meet legal labelling requirements, such as ingredient information in English and the name and address of a UK business. 

Our Trading Standards officers served the company with three improvement notices, outlining the legislation breaches and how these could be remedied. 

When the team returned last July, they found that the company had failed to comply with these notices, instead restocking a significant number of illegal, single use vapes. 

This prosecution, which also saw the court order for non-compliant food items to be forfeited, is a fantastic result for our Regulatory Services and Legal Services teams, who are committed to tackling and preventing the sale of illegal and potentially unsafe products in Barnsley. 

Councillor Wendy Cain, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities, said: “We’re committed to keeping our communities safe, and we take this responsibility seriously, whether we’re keeping unsafe food items off our shelves, tackling the sale of illegal tobacco and vapes or educating businesses on their responsibilities to comply with safety standards. 

“This prosecution highlights how we will always put people’s health and safety first, taking swift action when businesses fail to work with us in making improvements. It also shows how we will always be proactive in working with businesses to understand new legislation. 

“I would like to thank our Regulatory Services and Legal Services teams for all their hard work on this case to keep illegal and potentially harmful products off our shelves.” 

It’s important that any food for sale complies with legal labelling requirements and includes the right information about ingredients and allergens in English, protecting consumers from buying products which may be harmful to their health. 

Our Trading Standards team are here to help businesses understand their legal responsibilities and comply with safety standards. 

If you run a local business and have any questions or need any advice around legislation, including correct food labelling, please get in touch with the team by calling 01226 773743. 

You can also find out more about food labelling and regulations on our website. 

Our Trading Standards team are committed to tackling the sale of illicit tobacco and vapes in Barnsley, including single use vapes since the ban was introduced last June. 

If you see anything suspicious or have any information about the sale of counterfeit goods, including illegal tobacco and vapes, please get in touch with the team by calling 01226 773743.