A SHOP owner who sold an illegal vape to a child told Trading Standards officers he didn’t know there was an age restriction on vapes.

Trading Standards carried out a test purchase at Phone Xpert, on Little Horton Lane after complaints the business was selling vaping products to children.

The legal age is 18.

A test purchase was carried out on the store on April 3 last year, and a 15-year-old boy was sold an Elux 3500 – an oversized vape that had five times the legal limit of vape fluid in its tank.

On Thursday Muhammad Usman, the owner of the shop and the man who sold the vape, appeared in court over the incident.

He pleaded guilty to selling a vaping product to someone under the age of 18 and selling an item that did not comply with legal requirements during the appearance at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court.

His company, Phone Xpert Bradford Ltd, faced the same charges.

Usman, 38 of Halstead Place, was ordered to pay £1,306 in fines and costs and his company will have to pay £2,188.

Derek Hallam, prosecuting on behalf of Trading Standards, said: “The defendant is the sole director of Phone Xpert Bradford Ltd.

“On April 3, West Yorkshire Trading Standards carried out a test purchase on the property after receiving complaints that the shop had been selling disposable E-cigarettes containing nicotine to children.

“A 15-year-old boy came in and bought an Elux 3500 for £10. He was not challenged in any way and not asked for ID to confirm his age.

“It is also an offence to sell a vape with a tank bigger than 2ml. This product’s tank was 10ml – five times the maximum. It is unlawful to sell this product in this country.”

The court was told Usman was then interviewed on May 25.

Mr Hallam said: “He said he didn’t know there was an age restriction on e-cigs. When asked whether he knew the purchaser was under 18, he answered ‘no comment.’

“When asked about the size of the tank in the product he sold, he said he didn’t know it was not compliant. He said he purchased them from a wholesaler in Manchester.”

He said he had removed all the illegal products from his store.

Usman, representing himself through an interpreter, said: “The person didn’t look like they were underage, he looked tall, but I didn’t ask him for ID.

“This was the only case of it happening – I feel sorry for what happened. If I had known the regulations I would never have sold the items.”

The company was fined £750 and ordered to pay £1,138 costs and a £300 surcharge.

Usman was fined £120, and ordered to pay £1,138 costs and a £48 surcharge.