The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced a £10m funding boost for Trading Standards to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vapes.
The announcement, which comes as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill moves closer to its likely implementation later this year, will mean funding for 80 apprentice frontline Officers. It will also mean more resources for Trading Standards to seize and store illicit products, and additional funding for work with specially trained detection dogs to sniff out concealed tobacco.
The £10m funding will build on ongoing efforts to tackle illicit tobacco and vapes, including HMRC and Border Force’s £100m Illicit Tobacco Strategy. The new vaping duty, which comes into force in 2026, will also introduce new civil and criminal powers, giving enforcers the ability to seize products and recruit more compliance staff.
Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, said: “Buying illicit tobacco and vapes may save a few pennies in your pocket, but they can be incredibly dangerous and are often linked to criminal activity.
“It’s vital the Tobacco and Vapes Bill moves forward so we can tackle this illicit trade and free our children from a life imprisoned by addiction. By phasing out tobacco, introducing new restrictions on vapes and putting more boots on our streets, we’re taking the concrete action needed to deliver our Plan for Change and bring us that one step closer to a healthier, smoke-free future.”
CTSI Chief Executive, John Herriman, said: “CTSI is very welcoming of the announcement of substantial funding for Trading Standards services across England. This much-needed investment will strengthen our ability to support businesses in complying with current and future tobacco and vaping regulations and will also ensure we are well placed to support the protection of public health.
“It also reinforces our commitment to taking firm action against anyone who seeks to harm their local communities by choosing to operate outside the law. With these additional resources, we can make a real difference in both keeping consumers safe, and ensuring a fair and responsible marketplace.”
National Trading Standards Chair, Lord Michael Bichard, commented: “Illicit tobacco and vape products are prevalent in our communities, trapping people – including children and young people – in a dangerous cycle of addiction that could endure for another generation.
“The scourge of illicit nicotine products are largely powered by organised crime, and the products represent an important money-spinner that help fund organised crime groups’ other illegal schemes, such as human trafficking and modern slavery.
“While Trading Standards seized more than a million illegal vapes, 19 million counterfeit cigarettes and 5,103kg of illicit hand rolling tobacco last year, further action and resources are needed by enforcement bodies to disrupt supply and clamp down on the perpetrators. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is an important step in the right direction, providing more resources to a stretched Trading Standards workforce who, alongside other enforcement partners, are working hard to help the government meet its aims for a smoke-free generation.”
The upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill will gradually phase out the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 and toughen laws to protect children from addiction. The Bill will also introduce new £200 on-the-spot fines in England and Wales for breaches of age of sale restrictions, alongside powers to introduce a licensing scheme for retailers to sell tobacco, vape and nicotine products in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
