Residents are being urged to report any concerns about businesses selling illegal vapes in Bath and North East Somerset to the trading standards team or Citizens’ Advice.
Bath & North East Somerset Council has been tackling the sale of illegal vapes in the area for several months after residents raised concerns. Illegal vapes having been found and seized at eight premises in the last few months.
Earlier this month a multi-agency operation led by the council’s trading standards team resulted in the seizure of more than 1,000 illegal disposable vapes from two shops in Keynsham. The operation was supported by Avon & Somerset Police, HMRC, Trading Standards South West and a dog handler with dogs trained to detect tobacco and vape.
The seizures were part of Operation Joseph, a national trading standards initiative to tackle the supply and sale of illegal vapes and e-cigarettes.
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Illegal tobacco was also found and seized at the premises in Keynsham, which were raided following reports to the council that age restricted products including vapes were being supplied to children and that illegal tobacco was being traded from the premises.
The sale of disposable vapes to young people has seen an increase both locally and nationally with government statistics showing that 69% of current vapers aged 11 to 17 in Britain are using disposable vapes, up from 7.7% in 2021.
Illegal and oversized vapes are becoming an increasing problem and the trading standards team has been carrying out regular checks on products for sale. Illegal vapes are not likely to have undergone any safety assessments to ensure they are safe for consumers to use.
Although vaping is much safer than smoking, it is not risk free and is not recommended for anyone who has never smoked or young people under 18. Vaping exposes users to some toxins and the long-term risks of vaping are not yet clear. Nicotine may be more risky for young people than for adults. There’s some evidence that in adolescence the brain is more sensitive to its effects and the risk of developing dependence is higher.
FRANK provides information aimed at young people about vapes and nicotine.
If a member of the public has any concerns about a business, or believe they have seen illegal or counterfeit products for sale, they should report it to Citizens Advice Consumer Service through their web portal, or via a telephone call to 0808 223 1133. All reports are passed to Trading Standards.