ST HELEN’S ROAD: Asia Vape shut for a second time in a year as three more Swansea vape shops are closed

Magistrates have closed Vape City and Asia Vape on St Helen’s Road and Vape Zone on Dilwyn Street, the council says. Asia Vapes was on the list when nine shops were raided last October.

Swansea Bay News
4 Min Read
The red graffiti-covered shutter of Asia Vape on St Helen's Road, Swansea, with court closure notices taped to it under the shop's purple and pink sign
Court closure notices on the shutter at Asia Vape on St Helen's Road on ThursdayImage: Swansea Bay News

Three more Swansea vape shops have been shut by magistrates after selling illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco, Swansea Council says, and one of them has been closed before.

Vape City and Asia Vape on St Helen’s Road and Vape Zone on Dilwyn Street are the latest closures secured by the council’s Trading Standards team.

A shop called Asia Vapes on St Helen’s Road was one of nine shut when 14 premises were raided across the city in October 2025. The council’s statement does not say when it reopened.

On Thursday, court notices were taped across the graffiti-covered red shutter at Asia Vape, between an international food store and a flat door numbered 41A.

Cllr Andrew Williams, the council’s cabinet member for development, said: “The latest closures are another great example of the work our Trading Standards is doing to disrupt and close down businesses that are operating illegally.”

He added: “It’s completely unacceptable for many of these vape shops to operate in the way they are, selling counterfeit goods, particularly to children.”

Ten shops shut this year, from Pontarddulais to Dilwyn Street

The three take to ten the number of Swansea vape shops closed by magistrates on the council’s application since June, by Swansea Bay News’s count of the council’s announcements.

In June, World of Vapes in Pontarddulais was shut for a third time, alongside Snoop Vapes on High Street, each for three months.

In September, three shops on Mansel Street were closed for three months after raids with police and immigration officers: VH Vape Hub, Kalar Market and Midtown Vape Shop.

Earlier this month, Morriston & Vape and Monsoon Vape in Morriston were shut after undercover officers bought illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco. Four people were arrested in the raids that followed, the council said.

Previous orders in the campaign have run for three months. The council’s statement on Thursday does not say how long the latest three shops will stay shut.

Why Swansea keeps closing vape shops, and the planning power it still wants

When the June closures were announced, the council’s Trading Standards team leader, Rhys Harries, said: “There’s more to come. We have continued with our intelligence gathering and there will be more closures this year.”

Swansea seized £470,000 of illegal vapes in the year after the disposable ban, more than any other council in the UK, Freedom of Information figures published in August showed.

The council has also asked the Welsh Government for planning powers to block new vape shops, to match rules brought in for England. At present a vape shop can open on any Swansea street without planning permission.

Cllr Williams has said the council’s focus is to make sure vape shops are trading legally and not selling to under-18s, with test purchases used to build intelligence on which shops are selling counterfeit goods.

Author

Swansea Bay News

Reporting from the Swansea Bay News newsroom.


Discover more from Swansea Bay News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Share This Article

Reporting from the Swansea Bay News newsroom.

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Swansea Bay News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading