Thousands of illegal vaping products seized in crackdown

Thousands of illegal vapes were seized

Thousands of illegal disposable vapes have been seized across the borough in a week of action from trading standards.

Last week, the council’s trading standards team visited 50 premises and non-compliant vapes were found at 74% per cent of them.

Over 2,700 vapes were seized or voluntarily surrendered. Most were super-strength vapes, providing more than the typical 600 puffs per vape legal on the UK market.

The majority of the devices allow 550 to 600 puffs of 2% nicotine e-liquid, which equates to 40 to 50 cigarettes per vape. 

As a general rule, if the listing states more than 600 puffs, they will not be suitable for the UK market, as they will have a capacity greater than 2ml and, most likely, a higher nicotine content than is permitted.

As a general rule, anything more than 600, possibly 800 puffs, is likely to be an illegal disposable vape. There are a few 800-puff devices sold in the UK which are TPD compliant and legal.

A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council said: “Our team found vapes on sale with up to a staggering 10,000 puffs. Many of the vapes were fruit-flavoured and brightly coloured and some have the ability to light up in the dark to make them more attractive to children.

“While some people use vaping to stop smoking, there is a real risk that these products can attract young people into experimentation and nicotine addiction. All retailers visited have been advised in writing and will face prosecution if they continue to sell non-compliant vapes.”

For further advice on what to look for when buying disposable vapes, see http://ow.ly/9WTI50JCVEA