The Stonecot off-licence has attracted 12 separate complaints over a three-year period regarding unlawful vape and booze sales
A Sutton off-licence has been accused of “actively fuelling a new generation of nicotine addiction” after it was alleged to have sold illegal vapes to children in school uniform.
Sutton Council is now considering the full revocation of the shop’s licence, after evidence showed the owners had “brazenly” and repeatedly sold to minors.
St Peters News Food and Wine on Epsom Road, Stonecot, will be brought before Sutton Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee next Tuesday (June 16). This follows 12 separate complaints over a three-year period from concerned parents and police about unlawful sales to minors.
During an undercover sting operation in July 2023, the shop unlawfully sold a bottle of Dead Man’s Fingers Spiced Rum to an underage volunteer. Shop owner Subir Singh was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice at the time.
Beyond underage sales, investigators uncovered a stash of illegal products during multiple raids at the Stonecot premises. The first Trading Standards inspection took place on July 6, 2023, when the shop was found to be stocking 279 illegal oversized vape models.
This haul included ‘Lost Mary BM6000′ and ’10K Starter Kit’ models, as well as single-use ‘Skittles’ and ‘Banana Ice’ disposable vapes. Many of these vapes far exceeded legal safety limits for the UK market.
A further 55 illegal vapes were uncovered during raids in March and April 2026. Authorities also seized 1,960 sticks of illicit tobacco, 1.35kg of hand-rolling tobacco, and 82 blunts on March 25, 2026.
Forty-one 50ml miniature bottles of non-duty-paid mixed whisky were seized in March 2026. Trading Standards officers also seized 22 perfumes and 12 Labubu products in the same month after the items were deemed counterfeit and unsafe.
Despite receiving multiple formal warnings and guidance letters, Trading Standards officers felt St Peters consistently failed to clean up its act. In the particularly critical review application, officers said: “The premises has ceased to operate as a responsible business and has instead become a source of significant public health risk to the most vulnerable members of our community.”
On the issue of public health, they added: “By allowing children to purchase alcohol and vapes, the shop encourages children to start a life of addiction. In some extreme cases, it has also been linked to the grooming of children.”
They went on to say: “The blatant disregard for age verification (Challenge 25) suggests that profit has been prioritised over the safety and developmental health of local children.”
Trading Standards officers concluded, therefore, that full revocation of the shop’s licence was “the only proportionate and necessary response”.
At next week’s meeting, councillors will have the power to suspend the licence, modify operating conditions or strip the business of its ability to sell alcohol entirely. St Peters News Food and Wine was approached for comment ahead of publication.
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