Shop that sold vodka and vape to teenage girl has licence revoked

Police said the shop was ‘well-known’ for selling alcohol and vapes to children

A shop that sold vodka and a vape to a 14-year-old has had its licence revoked. Cambridgeshire Police requested a licence review for Westgate News at 44 Westgate, Peterborough.

Officers were concerned about the sale of alcohol, vapes, and nicotine products to children, serious and repeated breaches of licence conditions, and that staff “knowingly” sold products to children.

Evidence provided by police in the licensing review said that on January 26, 2026, a 14-year-old girl was sold vodka, a vape, and a soft drink at the shop. Other incidents include a vape being sold to a 12-year-old child and alcoholic BuzzBall cocktails being sold to children.

In licensing documents, the police said: “The volume, consistency, and longevity of intelligence – combined with evidential incidents and enforcement action – demonstrate that this premise is systematically undermining the licensing objectives, particularly in respect of children. The latest intelligence confirms that these issues remain ongoing, necessitating decisive action by the Licensing Authority.”

The shop was “well-known in school to sell vapes to children”. Police believe this demonstrated that the shop developed a “reputation amongst school-age children”.

In a licensing review meeting held by Peterborough City Council on Friday (July 31), the shop had its licence revoked. The licensing review was brought under the objectives of prevention of crime and protection of children and harm.

During the meeting, the sub-committee reviewed CCTV footage that showed the sales of alcohol and vapes to underage children.

The decision notice said: “In order to promote the licensing objectives in question, the sub-committee believes it is necessary to revoke the premises licence.”