SIX shops in Torbay have been closed down on the same day for selling illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco.

Plymouth Magistrates Court ordered that the stores be shut for three months following a major operation by police and trading standards.

Action was taken against the shops in Torquay and Paignton and officers from Devon & Cornwall Police, working with Heart of the South West Trading Standards, say they will continue to stamp out the sale of illegal products.

Some of the shops had previously been warned about what they were selling and continued to trade illegally.

Some tried to hide the illicit items in unusual places at the premises, such as in the ceiling above a toilet.

Plymouth Magistrates Court granted the closure orders for the shops at a hearing on Thursday 11 September following an application by Devon & Cornwall Police. Officers can apply to have the court orders extended for longer if necessary.

Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service and Devon & Cornwall Police served the closure notices on all shops after previous inspections had revealed stashes of products such as cigarettes.

The hidden items were revealed with the help of specialist detection dogs and the clever canines assisted officers by finding the haul.

Torquay Inspector Rob Harvey said: ‘This is a fantastic and significant result to get this many commercial premises closed in one go.

‘The action taken reassures the communities of Torbay that we are acting on information reported to us and will not tolerate this illegal behaviour.

‘We know that illegal sales of this nature can also cause commercial harm to local legitimate businesses and I would like to thank local residents and businesses for their continued support’.

The latest action follows the closure of four shops in Torquay in July this year and two shop closures in Exmouth in June.

The latest premises subject to closure orders are:

National intelligence suggests shops such as these take between £2,000 and £3,000 per day from illegal tobacco sales. The cheapest cigarettes available are sold for around £4.50 with counterfeit hand rolling tobacco selling for between £6 and £10.

Non-UK duty paid tobacco (genuine but intended for foreign markets) usually retails for around £18 if stocked, but the majority of tobacco found is counterfeit.

Alex Fry, Operations Manager for Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, added: ‘This joint operation will have severely disrupted the illegal tobacco trade in the area.

‘The sale of illegal tobacco harms children as they are able to buy tobacco for pocket money prices and encourages them to take up the habit, and harms legitimate businesses because they undercut legitimate traders who play by the rules’.

Police and partners have secured more than 30 closure orders (commercial and residential) across Torquay, Newton Abbot, Exeter and surrounding areas of South Devon since September last year.

Councillor Hayley Tranter, Torbay Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Inequalities, said: ‘Illegal vape shops are not safe places – the items sold are detrimental to public health and the unlawful sales take business away from hardworking, honest traders.

‘I am pleased so many premises have been shut in one day.

‘We will always act on local concerns and I would encourage residents and businesses to report any suspicions to the police or council’.