More than 5,000 illegal vapes seized from Lincolnshire shops

Dec 06, 2023

Some contained more than 16 times the legal limit of puffs

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More than 5,000 illegal vapes were seized from Lincolnshire shops over an eight-month period last year. In total, Trading Standards removed 5,417 unsafe products from the market between April and December with 5,062 of them being non-compliant vapes.

These include vapes exceeding the legal nicotine content and the delivery dose (puff). Legally, disposable vapes should have around 600 puffs but some of those seized contained up to 10,000 puffs – more than 16 times the limit.

The underage sales of vapes is an area of growing concern for Trading Standards services across the country. In Lincolnshire, 35 per cent of the intelligence received around underage sales is now about the sale of vapes specifically.

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A new workshop has been developed, specifically around the use of vapes, and this has already been delivered to over 4,000 pupils. Mark Keal, head of Lincolnshire Trading Standards, said: "The popularity of disposable vapes has exploded over the last 18 months, and we have seen a lot of shops cashing in on the new craze.

"Many of the businesses now selling vapes haven't sold nicotine products before, and we’ve gone to great lengths to advise businesses on the regulations around them, to help them comply with the law. What we’re seeing now is more unscrupulous businesses knowingly selling oversized, non-compliant vapes.

"Many of the shops where we find illegal cigarettes, we’re now also finding illegal vapes. However, whereas the dodgy cigarettes are hidden away behind the counter, in a back room, or in some elaborate hide, illegal vapes are often brazenly displayed at the counter, making them seem legitimate to the average customer.

"The growing trend of young people vaping for the first time is also concerning. Whilst shops are clearly consistent in asking for ID when selling cigarettes and alcohol, there seems to be a more slack attitude when it comes to vapes and that's something we’re working hard to address through education and enforcement.

"Research may show that vaping is much less harmful than smoking cigarettes, but the health message remains that if you have never smoked, you should not take up vaping."