Hundreds of illegal vapes seized from Cambridgeshire shops

Almost 1,500 illegal vapes were seized from shops as raids were carried out in Cambridgeshire this week.

A multi-agency operation involving Trading Standards, Fenland District Council’s Licensing Team and HMRC saw four shops in Chatteris and March raided on Monday. The operation follows an influx of intelligence from concerned members of the public to Fenland District Council and Trading Standards.

Issues include vapes with tank sizes that are illegal in the UK due to the quantities of liquid they contain and vapes that wrongly state they contain no nicotine.

In 2023, Trading Standards seized 8,800 vapes, over 26,000 illicit cigarettes and 38 packs of hand rolling tobacco in Cambridgeshire. Earlier this month three quarters of a tonne of illegal vapes were sent to a dedicated recycling facility.

This follows the Government proposals announced earlier this year to ban disposable vapes and ensure vapes conform to plainer packaging requirements, tighter restrictions on display and strict limits on flavouring to make them less appealing to children.

Peter Gell, Service Director Regulatory Services said: “These ongoing, targeted enforcement operations send a clear message to the shops that supply these products, and the organised crime gangs behind these crimes, that the sale of illegal vapes won’t be tolerated in Cambridgeshire. We are committed to taking a hard line with anyone we uncover perpetrating these crimes.  

“The level of Intelligence we receive from the public and local law-abiding businesses is also indicative of local feeling towards these crimes. They don’t want these crimes being committed in their local communities, and we will continue to tackle it on their behalf.”