(Image: NYC)
Businesses caught illegally selling tobacco and vapes could face on-the-spot fines under plans being considered by North Yorkshire Council.
The changes form part of a revised trading standards policy targeting underage sales and protecting consumers.
If approved, the policy would introduce fixed penalty notices for some offences under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, alongside prosecutions.
A member of North Yorkshire Council’s trading standards team looking at confiscated cigarettes and tobacco (Image: NYC)
Councillor Richard Foster, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for managing our environment, said: "Our trading standards team play a vital role in protecting residents, supporting honest businesses and helping to ensure our communities remain safe places to live, work and shop.
"This proposed updated policy provides a clear and transparent framework for enforcement, ensuring we can respond effectively to emerging challenges while taking a fair and proportionate approach.
"By targeting those who deliberately flout the law and protecting consumers from harm, we are helping to create a level playing field for responsible businesses and safeguarding some of the most vulnerable members of our communities."
The policy would strengthen the council’s response to underage sales, online scams and rogue traders.
It also recognises the National Trading Standards e-Crime Team, jointly hosted in North Yorkshire, which works to remove misleading websites and content.
The council said the approach targets overseas websites posing as legitimate UK businesses but selling poor-quality goods or failing to deliver orders.
Trading standards teams across the country face increasingly complex challenges.
National figures show that more than 1.19 million illegal vapes were seized in England between 2023 and 2024, while nearly a quarter of test purchases led to illegal sales to children.
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The revised policy supports the council’s wider strategy to keep people safe and healthy while helping communities and businesses thrive.
The council’s executive will decide whether to adopt the policy at a meeting on Tuesday, October 27.
The full report is on North Yorkshire Council’s website.