Seven of the nine Nottingham businesses tested in an underage vape operation sold nicotine products to supervised underage volunteers without asking for proof of age, Nottingham City Council Trading Standards and Nottinghamshire Police said.
The test purchase results mean most premises visited in the operation failed a basic legal safeguard designed to stop children buying nicotine inhaling products. The businesses have not been named at this stage because further investigations are under way and formal action may follow.
For parents, schools and residents, the practical point is immediate: retailers selling vapes and other nicotine products should be checking age before sale, and anyone concerned about underage sales can report concerns to Trading Standards or police.
Seven failures from nine Nottingham test purchases
The operation targeted retailers suspected of selling nicotine inhaling products, including vapes, to children. Underage volunteers, supervised as part of the enforcement work, visited nine premises across Nottingham.
In seven cases, they were able to buy nicotine products without being challenged for identification. Two premises did not fail the test purchase.
| Test purchase result | Number of businesses |
|---|---|
| Premises visited | 9 |
| Sold nicotine products to underage volunteers | 7 |
| Did not fail the test | 2 |
The figures show the outcome of a targeted enforcement operation, not a full survey of every vape retailer in Nottingham. The council and police focused on businesses suspected of underage sales, so the results should not be read as a citywide failure rate across all shops.
They do, however, point to a serious compliance problem among the premises selected for checks. Similar enforcement work has been carried out elsewhere in England, including checks over underage vape sales at local retailers.
Nicotine products and child safety
Nicotine inhaling products are age restricted because nicotine is addictive and carries particular risks for children and young people. The Nottingham operation focused on whether retailers were applying the safeguards required before completing a sale.
Councillor Matt Shannon, Executive Member for Community Protection, Neighbourhoods and Equalities at Nottingham City Council, said it was “reprehensible” that businesses were willing to illegally sell nicotine products to children.
He said the high failure rate was “deeply alarming” and showed that too many retailers were failing in their legal responsibilities. The council said it will continue working with Nottinghamshire Police and will make the outcome of enforcement action public once any court proceedings have concluded.
Shannon added that retailers selling nicotine products to under-18s were putting profit ahead of the wellbeing of Nottingham’s young people.
Challenge 25 checks retailers are expected to use
The legal rule at the centre of the operation is the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015. Under those regulations, it is illegal to sell nicotine inhaling products to anyone under 18.
Retailers are expected to use Challenge 25 policies. That means staff should ask for identification from anyone who appears to be under 25 before selling age-restricted nicotine products.
Trading Standards also reminded businesses to keep staff training up to date, apply Challenge 25 consistently and maintain refusals registers correctly. A refusals register records occasions when a sale is refused because a customer cannot prove they are old enough.
Businesses that need a refusals register can contact Nottingham City Council Trading Standards on 0115 844 5018.
Operation Reclaim enforcement in the city
The test purchases form part of wider partnership work supporting Nottinghamshire Police’s Operation Reclaim, which targets criminality, protects communities and aims to make Nottingham safer and more welcoming for residents, workers and visitors.
Chief Inspector Kylie Davies said businesses that fail to act responsibly will be dealt with accordingly. She said police have already closed four vape shops in and around Nottingham city centre as part of Operation Reclaim, which is also tackling business crime.
The seven businesses that failed the underage vape test purchase operation are now subject to further investigation. Possible next steps include formal action, prosecution and further compliance checks.
Source: Nottingham City Council
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This article was prepared from Nottingham City Council material describing a Trading Standards and Nottinghamshire Police test purchase operation.
- Matched the headline figures against the source: nine premises visited and seven failed.
- Kept the caveat that the operation targeted suspected retailers rather than all Nottingham...
- Checked the legal reference to the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purch...
- Included the named enforcement context: Nottinghamshire Police Operation Reclaim and Chall...
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- Nottingham City Council
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- Nottingham
- Updated
- 2026-06-04 22:29
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