Barrow Vape Shop Ordered to Remain Closed After Continued Sale of Illegal Vapes and Tobacco

A Barrow-in-Furness shop that was previously ordered to close has now had its closure extended after trading standards officers and Cumbria Police discovered the business continued supplying illegal vaping products and tobacco.
Gurga Vape Shop Ltd, which operates as Easy Shop on Church Street, was initially served with a three-month closure order at Barrow Magistrates Court in October 2025 following repeated enforcement visits that uncovered large quantities of illegal cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco and vaping products hidden on the premises.
Despite that order, investigators found further illegal products linked to the shop. Trading Standards officers and police seized additional consignments of contraband tobacco and vape devices including types that are no longer legal for sale under recent regulations banning single-use vapes.
Investigators also traced illegal goods to a vehicle registered to the shop’s owner, and executed a raid on storage facilities where more illicit tobacco and vapes were discovered, amounting to over 100,000 cigarettes.
Based on this continued criminal activity, Westmorland and Furness Trading Standards successfully secured a court order extending the shop’s closure for another three months to protect the local community and stop further sale of unregulated products.
Police and council officials stressed that enforcement action against the sale of illegal tobacco and vaping products is part of broader efforts to curb harmful and unregulated goods that can pose health risks, undermine legitimate businesses, and fuel other forms of criminality.
Members of the public with information about the sale of illegal tobacco or vape products are encouraged to report it to trading standards or police through the appropriate consumer helplines