COUNCILLORS were told that “enough was enough” as police and Trading Standards officers closed down a Wellington shop for persistently selling vapes to children.

Sgt Jon O’Connor told members of Wellington Town Council that taking action against the owners of the Danya Store on the High Street had been a “long time coming and involved the compilation of evidence from overt and covert tactics over many months.”

It was on June 9 when police visited the store alongside Trading Standards to serve the relevant paperwork for the forthcoming closure order hearing and to implement an initial 48-hour closure notice.

“Whilst they were there, Trading Standards used their powers to conduct a search of the premises and discovered a pop-up shelving unit that was secreted into the floor,” said Sgt O’Connor.

“This was used to store suspected illegal tobacco which has been seized and remains under investigation with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.”

Sgt O’Connor, in his report, said that two days later on June 11 they were successful in an application to Taunton Magistrates Court for a full closure of the premises which prohibits anyone from entering for three months.

“Excise offences aside, for me the biggest aggravating factor was the persistent under-age sales of vapes to minors even when in school uniform,” he said. “This closure order is a significant step to safeguard our local young people when the origins and contents of the products sold there were largely unknown and unregulated.”

He told councillors on July 6 that the fact the shop could only be closed down for three months was a “draconian piece of legislation.”

“A common question is why can’t the shop just be closed down for good,” he continued in his report. “Three months is the maximum amount of time the legislation allows the court to grant, but this an option for us to apply for a further three-month extension should the risk of further illegal activity remain.

“In the meantime, we are working with the owner of the property and urging them to instigate termination proceedings against the current tenants.

“We are also strongly advising the use of more thorough background and due diligence checks by the landlord for subsequent tenants to avoid any further requirement for closure activity.”

Sgt O’Connor said HMRC was “running the investigation” and that police would “monitor the situation from behind the scenes.”

But he added that “enough was enough” when under-age people were being sold vapes “on a daily basis.”

The WWN ran a report of the raid on the store when three marked police cars and one unmarked police van with sniffer dogs descended on the premises, and officers undertook a search inside.

Sgt O’Connor, speaking at the time of applying for a closure notice, said: “This application is based on feedback we have received from the community and we are particularly aware of the concerns from parents and other members of the public in relation to the sale of certain products from this retailer.”