Hundreds of illegal disposable vapes have been seized from a Wellingborough shop following a joint operation by the town’s neighbourhood policing team and Trading Standards.
Spot checks were carried out at three town centre shops on Tuesday (24 June), following the introduction of the government’s ban on the sale of single use vapes which came into force on 1 June.
Although two of the shops were compliant with the new regulations, 1,734 disposable vapes were seized along with a packet of illegal imported cigarettes from a retail premises in Market Street.
On this occasion, the premises occupier was given advice, however under the new legislation premises found to be flouting the law will receive future follow up inspections.
PC Kyle Jones, of Wellingborough Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Overall it was good to see that most of the retailers visited were fully compliant with the new laws.
“However, we will continue to keep working with our partners at Trading Standards and our licensing colleagues, on operations like this to help keep our communities safe from harm in whatever form it takes.
“Action like this wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of the public, and we encourage people to report any information or concerns to us.”