A SHOPKEEPER from Bridgwater has pleaed guilty after he was caught selling vapes to a 15-year-old girl.

Henri Andre Bitton, 74, works at Gemini Vapes in Eastover and pleaded guilty at Taunton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to making the illegal sale in February.

Bitten told the court that he didn’t realise the volunteers' age and that he is blind in one eye with blurred vision in the other.

The girl in question was a volunteer in a test purchasing exercise on behalf of the South West Trading Standards Service.

Somerset Council warns businesses that they are putting their livelihoods at risk by not asking for identification when selling age-restricted goods such as vapes, tobacco, and alcohol.

A Trading Standards Officer, who was in the shop at the time, saw Bitton make the sale without asking for ID.

After the purchase, the officer showed Bitton a photo of the volunteer and Bitton said “she is over 18” and that he has “sufficient experience” to identify underage people.

When another customer tried to purchase a vape the defendant said ‘he could tell’ that she was over 18.

In court, Bitton was ordered to pay £1200 in fines, costs of £1880 and a victim surcharge of £480, making £3560 in total.

According to Action on Smoking and Health UK (ASH), the rates of 11–17-year-olds vaping seem to have stabilised after a period of increase.

ASH found that in 2024 around 980,000 children aged from 11-17 have tried vaping with 48% of 11–17-year-olds saying they got their hands on a vape from a shop.

Alex Fry is the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service’s Operations Manager, he believes that there are several factors that draw in under-18s to want to vape.

Alex said: “The bright colours and sweet flavours of vapes are attracting young people and so it's essential that store owners ensure that they do not sell these products to children.

“Where premises fail test purchase operations, we will take a good look at the measures which were in place before deciding which action to take.

“In this case, the owner was given an opportunity to ask for ID and he did not.

“The most effective way to safeguard your business is to ask for ID. It’s such a simple thing to do.”