Gloucestershire County Council Trading Standards Officers have seized 1,800 illegal vapes with an estimated value of £9,000 from a shop in Gloucester.
The investigation was launched following a complaint from a member of the public, and when Officers visited the premises on Southgate Street on 8 August they found vapes with a capacity of considerably more than the 2ml legal limit. Some of the devices also had incorrect labelling, meaning they did not comply with UK law.
A second seizure of 160 vapes, worth around £1,200, was made at a Cheltenham shop on 9 August.
It brings the total number of illegal vapes seized already this year by Gloucestershire Trading Standards to 3,700 – worth an estimated £19,500.
Gloucestershire Trading Standards is advising retailers to protect themselves by buying vapes from reputable and trustworthy wholesalers, so that they can be confident the devices are legal and so they have a route to complain if they have any problems.
Councillor Dave Norman, Gloucestershire County Council cabinet member for Trading Standards, said: “These seizures cause considerable disruption to shop owners, with the loss of thousands of pounds of stock which could easily be avoided if they used reputable suppliers and wholesalers.
“While vapes may be a useful aid to help smokers quit, they must still comply with the law. This seizure also helps protect law-abiding traders from unfair competition from the sale of illegal products. I would like to thank the member of the public for bringing it to our attention – we will continue to act on information we receive from the public.”
Leave a comment