Shop closed for three months in latest victory over counterfeit tobacco products.
Herefordshire Council Trading Standards Service are continuing to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco in the county, and have successfully secured a three-month closure order against the Ross Vape Shop in Ross-on-Wye.
This followed a raid on conjunction with the Police, carried out on 8 April 2025. Officers found that every time a customer asked for cheap tobacco the shop used a ‘runner’ to fetch the illegal tobacco from a vehicle parked in a nearby car park. This system was to ensure that if the shop was searched, then no illegal products would be found.
The car was found to contain 351 packets of illegal non-duty paid cigarettes and 89 pouches of 50g hand rolling tobacco. Much of the seizure was counterfeit, and 91 illegal oversized vapes were also seized.
Officers found evidence to suggest the shop was making over £1000 a day from selling illegal products, and had also been caught selling vapes to children.
Cllr Barry Durkin, Cabinet Member Roads and Regulatory Services, said: “Herefordshire Council is working with our partners, West Mercia Police, to clamp down on illegal tobacco, which is run by organised criminals and the vapes trade. The three-month Closure Order will not only help prevent the sale of counterfeit tobacco products to the public, which can be lethal but will also benefit honest local businesses who lose out when these types of shops are allowed to operate.”
“With vaping, the protection of our children and young persons is essential. Primarily nicotine has a negative impact on their developing brains and lungs. Affecting brain development can lead to issues with attention, learning, memory, and impulse control. Such establishments draw children in to fulfil their addiction which poses significant risks to those children and young persons.”
Anyone with information on premises selling illegal tobacco is urged to report it via the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 2231133.
