4 hours agoShareSaveAlix HattenstoneBBC News, EnglandShareSaveBBCMore than six million illegal vaping products have been seized by Trading Standards officers across England in the past three years, new analysis by the BBC has found. We joined one of the teams responsible for tracking down the illicit goods as they prepare for a ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes.Paul Leighton is packing his rucksack with a heavy-duty hammer, pry bar and evidence bags for what he describes as “just an average day out”.As the senior Trading Standards officer at Newcastle City Council, he has learned the hiding places used to conceal illegal vapes can be sophisticated. Sometimes, he has to force his way in.He has found them hidden everywhere from inside fridges and barbecues to behind fake fuse boxes and tiled panels complete with hydraulic lifts.”I’ve seen entire kitchens come away from walls and off the floor as well… so all sorts of hiding places,” he says.Classified as illicit or non-compliant vapes, the products he will be searching for today fail to meet the legal requirements for sale in the UK.More than six million of them were seized in England between 2022 and 2024, according to analysis by the BBC.The health risks posed to unwitting customers are summed up by Connor Lamb, a senior technician for licensing also taking part in the unannounced checks on shops.If you get a normal vape, he says, “they’ve got a capacity which is enough for 600 puffs – the equivalent to 20 cigarettes”.But if you get an illegal one, “it can be anything from 200 cigarettes in one vape. Obviously someone buying this to go on a night out or a kid might just be chuffing on it all day and you can imagine the drastic effect that’ll have on someone’s lungs.”According to Trading Standards, illicit or non-compliant vapes can be anything with tank sizes greater than 2ml, a nicotine strength of more than 20ml or labels that do not display manufacturer details and health warnings.The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency strongly advises consumers not to use them as the true content – and any possible health risk – is unknown.On the road, Paul and Connor quickly find a stash of between 12 and 20 packs of illegal vapes at the back of a shop counter.”It would be unusual to have so few in a shop that sells quite frequently like this, so it’s just a case of where they’re hiding the rest,” says Paul.We head to a room at the back of the shop. There is a stench of urine. It is full of litter and we are deep in seemingly empty cardboard boxes.Paul’s hunch is proven right though as a search among the rubbish unearths a box of illegal vapes.How widespread are illegal vapes?Of 136 local Trading Standards bodies in England, 133 responded to BBC Freedom of Information requests, showing that between 2022 and 2024:At least 6,169,822 illicit or non-compliant vaping products were seized, including those taken at ports as well as in shopsThere were 3,766 records of retailers selling vapes to children making test purchases, with some retailers potentially caught more than onceRetailers were recorded 7,594 times as selling illicit or non-compliant vapes on test purchasesSelling illegal vapes was a factor in at least 316 shop closures during that period, while selling to children was a factor in at least 67. Most of the closures were temporary and some retailers may have been shut down more than once.The Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) insists the majority of vape shops operate within the law, serving adults who would otherwise be smoking.A spokesperson said: “These business owners would never knowingly involve themselves in criminal activity. Rather, it is since the resurgence of popularity of single-use vapes, and therefore a popular ‘cash market’, that we’ve seen organised crime gangs get involved in importing and distributing vapes.”They said IBVTA had long called for greater enforcement action at borders to stem the flow of illegal products entering the country.The Department of Health and Social Care said it was allocating an extra £10m this financial year for Trading Standards to tackle underage and illicit sales, with an expected 80 additional apprentice enforcement officers to be funded.Paul and Connor agree single-use vapes are among the main driving forces of the illegal trade and hope the coming ban will improve the situation.”These are quite sophisticated networks that we’re up against who are also involved in lots of quite serious activities as well as modern day slavery, trafficking, drug supply,” says Paul.”I think we’ll see a lot less product taken off the street because we haven’t really had a massive issue with reusable vapes for quite some time.”They’ve always been broadly compliant in terms of the devices that are being used, the batteries, the liquids, the odd oversized tank here.”Whe …
