Liverpool City Council’s Public Protection team has made a significant seizure of illegal vapes in a single shop, marking the largest seizure on record. The shop in question is located in the London Road vicinity of Liverpool city centre, and was searched based on intelligence received by the team. Officers from the local policing team also attended. During the search, officers discovered warehouse quantities of illegal vapes, with over 3,500 vapes being confiscated in total along with a total street value of £42,000.
This incident marks the third time that Liverpool City Council’s Public Protection team has conducted a large-scale seizure of illegal vape products. In total, more than 18,500 illegal vapes have been seized thus far in 2024 with an estimated value of £222,000. Beyond the illegality of these products, illegal vapes constitute a clear threat to public health since they are typically not regulated and can, therefore, contain banned ingredients and oversized tanks for nicotine liquid.
Liverpool City Council’s Alcohol and Tobacco Unit, working in tandem with City Law & Governance and Public Health colleagues, is ensuring the removal of illegal vapes from Liverpool’s streets. The public is encouraged to report any illegal sales of alcohol or tobacco products, including to underage individuals, to the Alcohol and Tobacco Unit anonymously.
According to Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health at Liverpool City Council, “This work sends a clear message to other retailers in our city who are trading in illegal products. While genuine vaping products continue to provide a viable alternative for those who want to quit smoking, the guidance remains that these should always be sourced from reputable retailers and if you don’t smoke already, don’t start vaping.”
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