Why does Scarborough have so many vape shops and barbers?

The number of vape and barber businesses in the seaside resort should be investigated by North Yorkshire Council Trading Standards, members of Scarborough Town Council have said.

At a meeting last week, councillors said they were worried about illegal vape sales and enforcement activity.

Cllr Sarah Mason said residents had repeatedly raised concerns about the changing character of some shopping streets.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The number of vape shops that we have, is there a big business model for it?

“We do seem to have a large number of them. What investigations are there into the need for that many?”

Asked whether she would like the issue examined more closely, she replied: “Yes, yes I would, and the number of barbershops that we have on certain streets.”

Cllr Mason added: “Residents have raised concerns about it and when you look at comments on Facebook they all say the same thing, you know, ‘why have we got barbershops, vape shops and HMOs?'”

Fellow Reform councillor William Stuart also questioned the concentration of similar businesses in parts of the town.

During the committee meeting, he said there were seven barber shops along a stretch of approximately 630 metres and asked whether there was sufficient demand to support so many businesses operating in the same sector.

“It does beg a question as to the viability of so many gents hairdressers in such a short distance,” he told Trading Standards officers.

Stuart later told this reporter the discussion was prompted by concerns raised by residents and businesses.

He said: “Trading Standards made clear that they can only act on information they receive. If residents see something they believe is unlawful, they should report it either to Trading Standards or through their local councillors.”

The councillor added that community intelligence was important because enforcement bodies often rely on complaints before launching investigations.

During the meeting, Trading Standards officers stressed there was no evidence that a high concentration of barber shops or vape retailers automatically indicated illegal activity.

Officers explained that enforcement action is generally intelligence-led and usually begins following complaints from members of the public, information from partner agencies such as the police, or reports from legitimate businesses affected by suspected illegal trading.

The committee heard that investigations into illegal tobacco and vape sales often involve test purchases and inspections carried out by Trading Standards officers using underage volunteers or specially planned enforcement operations.

Officers said cases are assessed on their merits and that legal action is only pursued where there is sufficient evidence and it is judged to be in the public interest.

Responding directly to councillors’ concerns about barber shops, a senior Trading Standards officer said: “The fact that there’s a lot of barbers in a row doesn’t mean to say that anyone’s doing anything wrong. So we need something to base a visit on.”

Officers also noted that while they had powers to investigate illegal tobacco, illegal vape products and underage sales, closure orders against businesses were difficult to obtain under current legislation.

They said North Yorkshire Trading Standards had not used closure orders in relation to this type of offending, although illegal goods had been seized and investigations carried out across the county in response to complaints and intelligence received.