Scottish Government is under pressure to give Trading Standards officers stronger powers to shut premises repeatedly caught selling illegal tobacco and vaping products.
According to a latest report in The Scotsman, 20 Scottish MPs led by Bathgate and Linlithgow MP Kirsteen Sullivan, has written to the Scottish Government urging it to introduce Closure Orders, similar to those available to enforcement officers in England and Wales.
The call comes amid warnings from Trading Standards of an “explosion” in illicit tobacco sales on Scottish high streets, with illegal products often sold at significantly cheaper prices than legitimate alternatives.
For convenience retailers, the proposals could mean tougher enforcement action against businesses found repeatedly breaching tobacco and vaping laws, while also increasing pressure on the illicit market.
Currently Trading Standards in Scotland can only issue fixed penalty notices to those caught selling tobacco and vapes to under 18s. But their counterparts in England and Wales can shut down shops for breaking the law.
According to Trading Standards, many of the shops are linked to organised crime and that the cheap cigarettes and vapes they sell are not solely about avoiding tax duty.
“Recently we’ve heard concerns about illicit goods being sold on highstreets up and down the country, alongside a skyrocketing number of products containing lithium batteries," The Scotsman quoted Sullivan as saying.
“With a growing need for eyes and ears in our town centres, rogue traders are harder to tackle with a 50 per cent reduction in Trading Standards Officers since 2002 alongside an aging workforce.
“Whilst there is no silver bullet, it is clear that Trading Standards Officer numbers must recover if we are to get dangerous goods and products off our shelves.
“With the UK government tackling this head-on with an extra £6 million to bolster trading standards enforcement in England and Wales, the Scottish Government must pass on the additional funding from Westminster and give Trading Standards Officers the same Closure Orders used successfully in other parts of the UK.
“Trading Standards officers are on the front line, and we want to see them equipped with the resources and enforcement tools they need.
“These powers send a clear message that persistent offending will not be tolerated, and there is no reason Scottish communities should have weaker protections than those in rest of the UK.”