Two Percy Main shopkeepers have been ordered to pay thousands of pounds in fines after pleading guilty to supplying illegal e-cigarettes.
On 26 September 2025, Daljit Kaur, trading as The Village Store on Burdon Street, admitted three offences under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. The offences included supplying and possessing e-cigarettes containing nicotine levels above the legal limit of 2ml. She was ordered to pay 1,816 in total, including fines, victim surcharge, and legal costs.
A week later, on 3 October 2025, Navtej Singh Hyare, who runs Hyare News, also on Burdon Street, pleaded guilty to one offence under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations and two offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. His offences involved supplying and possessing large quantities of non-compliant e-cigarettes. Mr Hyare was ordered to pay £4,440 in total, including fines, victim surcharge, and legal costs.
All seized e-cigarettes from both shops were forfeited. The two shops, located just 50 metres apart, had received warnings about the sale of non-compliant products. The items were discovered by officers from North Tyneside Council’s Trading Standards team, who investigated and brought the prosecutions.
Councillor Sandra Graham, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and the Climate Emergency, said: "Our Trading Standards team works hard to make sure the e-cigarettes sold in
North Tyneside meet safety standards. While vaping is safer than smoking, it is not without risk, and products that exceed legal limits or bypass safety checks can put people in danger. We expect all retailers to follow the law, and we will take action against those who don’t."
The council reiterated its commitment to protecting public health and ensuring all tobacco and nicotine products sold locally comply with legal requirements.