Concern raised over rise of illegal vapes in Somerset

Residents are being urged to report any concerns about businesses selling illegal vapes in Bath and North East Somerset after a series of raids have discovered the selling and distribution of illegal vapes.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has been tackling the sale of illegal vapes in the area for several months after residents raised concerns, with 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. 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 per cent of current vapers aged 11 to 17 in Britain are using disposable vapes, which is up from 7.7 per cent in 2021.

Bath & North East Somerset Council stated, “Illegal and oversized vapes are becoming an increasing problem and the trading standards team has been carrying out regular checks on products for sale.

“Traders are reminded that single use vapes must be registered with the MHRA, contain no more than 2 ml of nicotine containing liquid at a strength of no more than 2 mg/ml. Additionally, 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.”