Horsham convenience store has premises licence suspended for three months

Choice of Horsham was hit with the maximum suspension during a meeting of the district council’s licensing sub-committee on Monday (February 26).

The decision was made following an investigation by West Sussex Trading Standards and Sussex Police in October, during which a sniffer dog was taken to the shop, in Parkway.

A report to the meeting revealed that 95 oversize disposable vapes, which cannot be legally supplied in the UK, were found in a cardboard box in a small cupboard under the counter.

A spokesman for Trading Standards accused Choice of Horsham of undermining licensing objectives regarding public safety, the protection of children from harm and the prevention of crime and disorder.

He pointed out that e-cigarettes/vapes should contain no more than 2ml of liquid, which is enough for around 600 puffs – anything more would be a criminal offence.

The oversize vapes contained enough for 3,500 puffs.

The meeting was told that a decision regarding any prosecution was still to be made.

As well as the vapes, 80 packs of 20 Polish ‘Marlboro Gold’ cigarettes, which did not comply with UK packaging rules, were found in a bin bag in the shop’s toilet area.

The spokesman added: “The illegal trade in tobacco costs the treasury over £2bn a year, harms legitimate business and presents a serious danger to public health.”

This was the second time in a year that the shop had fallen foul of Trading Standards.

In March 2023, it had its licence suspended for one-month after selling alcohol to a 16-year-old girl.