Thousands of illegal vapes seized across BCP area

‘Oversized’ vapes with nine times the permitted 2ml limit of liquid are being sold in some local convenience stores.

Garish pink and plastic, some of the devices are designed to appeal to children, according to the local authority.

Photos shared with the Echo show a car boot stuffed with the harmful contraptions.

In another, there is shelf upon shelf stacked with similar products.

Shelves stacked with vapes at a store in the BCP Council area (Image: Tom Orde)

Between January 2021 and May 25 this year, a total of 6,155 vapes were seized.

Of these, 3,012 were seized this year alone.

On top of these figures, Trading Standards confiscated 528 illegal vapes and 6.2kg of illegal tobacco from a convenience store during a ‘day of action’ involving Dorset Police on June, 28.

Meanwhile, 650 vapes were seized from one premise just days before on June, 13.

According to a spokesperson for BCP Council, there haven’t been any prosecutions concerning these operations.

However, they said “we currently have six active investigations relating to the seizures. For many of the premises we have seized from, these are first offences, so we are working to educate the sellers and introduce measures to prevent any future offences".

Councillor Kieron Wilson, the portfolio holder for housing and regulatory services, said: 

“The council is committed to keeping the residents and families of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area safe.” 

“Tackling the sales of illegal vapes and the sale of vapes containing nicotine to children is a priority for BCP Trading Standards. 

“The increase in seizures of disposable vapes in the BCP area reflects the national trend of the increase in their popularity; which has also seen more premises choosing to sell them.  

“This has also triggered a rise in reports of alleged sales of vapes containing nicotine to children, and oversized vapes being sold – both of which are illegal.  

Oversized vape 'with 18ml of liquid' (Image: BCP Council)

Cllr Wilson urges anyone with concerns about illegal vape sales to children to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service by calling 0808 223 1133, or via their website at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/.  

The Guardian lodged Freedom of Information requests to 125 local authorities across the UK.

It found that ‘two and a half million illicit e-cigarettes were collected since the beginning of 2020’.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson previously told The Guardian it is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to children and there are concerns about the rise in youth vaping, particularly because of the unknown long-term harms.

The Echo requested the FOI figures directly from BCP Council in June.