Councillors are due to review the licence of an Eastbourne business, after a trading standards prosecution linked to the sale of illegal vapes.
An Eastbourne Borough Council licensing panel is due to consider a review application linked to Zap, an off-licence in Seaside Road, which is licensed for the retail sale of alcohol from 8am to midnight seven days a week.
The application was submitted by East Sussex County Council’s trading standards team in March. It said that Hamza Pirot, the business’s director and premises licence holder, had been convicted of “offences relating to the sale of overcapacity e-cigarettes”.
Trading standards said that its officers visited the store in April 2023 and found 314 illegal vapes and sent Mr Pirot a warning letter.
They said that officers conducted an inspection in April 2024 and “1,866 illegal vapes were discovered within the premises”.
They said that 33 were in a plastic bag on the shop counter and 1,833 in a basement store. Trading Standards said that the vapes found in the basement “included the same brands as found by the counter”.
And they added: “Mr Pirot was formally interviewed, denying any offences. He claimed that the items had been in the store prior to the April 2023 inspection and that his London-based supplier had refused to take them back and issue a refund.
“He blamed the discovery of the illegal items found by the sale counter on a former employee who had taken them upstairs from the basement by mistake.
“Mr Pirot was summonsed to the magistrates’ court in December 2024. He continued to deny the offences at several subsequent court appearances and even challenged the legality of the seized items.
“This necessitated the expert forensic analysis of several samples to prove that they were over capacity and therefore illegal. The court issued bail conditions preventing the personal sale of any vape products by Mr Pirot anywhere in the UK.”
Trading standards added: “On Monday 23 February 2026, Mr Pirot appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court where he maintained his not guilty plea. Following a short trial, he was convicted of all offences before the court.”
Mr Pirot has expressed a desire to make improvements.
In a statement submitted in response to the application, he said: “I take my responsibilities very seriously, including preventing under-age sales, maintaining public safety and following all licensing conditions.
“I am willing to co-operate fully and make any improvements necessary.”
The hearing is expected to take place at 6pm on Monday 11 May at Eastbourne Town Hall.
The agenda for the hearing has been published – in the same week as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill received Royal Assent.
The new legislation is expected to result in the introduction of a licensing scheme which will eventually require businesses to hold a licence to sell vapes and tobacco products.
