Cumberland Trading Standards Service are continuing with their new year crackdown on the sale of illegal vapes in Cumberland.
Since 1 January 2024, the team have successfully removed almost 2000 illegal single-use disposable vapes from five businesses across the county.
Their work has successfully prevented illegal and oversized vape products from being marketed and sold to Cumberland residents.
Officers visited the premises to assess whether the disposable vapes offered for sale were compliant with the strict requirements of the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in heavy fines.
Checks were carried out across January and February in the Whitehaven and Carlisle areas with the team finding illegal oversize vapes.
Officers were disappointed to find a number of the premises visited were selling vapes which were 5 times the legal capacity limit.
Illegal and oversized vaping products are becoming increasingly popular ahead of the upcoming vape ban, which is why the council is working with partner agencies to tackle illegal vape sales.
These visits compliment the work the team has recently conducted on preventing vapes being sold to under 18s.
Cumberland Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Licensing and Regulatory Services, Cllr Bob Kelly, said: “These outstanding results are testament to the continuous hard work of Cumberland Council’s Trading Standards team.
“I’m delighted to see that the team are removing illegal, unregulated vaping products from vape stores throughout Cumberland – protecting the health and wellbeing of Cumberland residents by removing potentially harmful products from the market”.
Cumberland Council relies on information from residents on the sale of illegal products. If residents see products for sale that they suspect might be illegal or counterfeit, they are encouraged to report it to Cumberland Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.