Liverpool City Council’s Alcohol and Tobacco Unit, in partnership with Merseyside Police, have confiscated thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit tobacco and vaping products this week as part of Operation Delilah – a national initiative focused on combatting the supply of illicit tobacco and vaping products. The seized products amounted to £5000 worth of illicit vape products and 3000 counterfeit cigarettes worth £6000.
As the Council’s Public Health team were having Cabinet meeting this week, the Tobacco Control Strategy which has been approved, will enable them to use the Local Stop Smoking Services and funding from the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) to scale up the numbers of individuals who successfully quit smoking in Liverpool.
Further to the above, two shops Happy Convenience Store and Daily Mini Market located in Old Swan and Tuebrook respectively have been closed due to illegal sales. The Council’s Alcohol and Tobacco Unit are working at full speed to dispose of the seized products in addition to the 450kg of vapes from shops across Liverpool that have been disposed of in the last month. Recycling of these products is done by a Manchester based contractor authorised by Trading Standards North West.
Matt Ashton – the Director of Public Health at Liverpool City Council – stated, “The work we are doing on illicit vapes sends a clear message to other retailers in our city who are trading in illegal products.” He further added, “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.”
The collaborative work of the Council’s Alcohol and Tobacco Unit alongside City Law & Governance and Public Health colleagues has led to the removal of thousands of illicit vapes from the streets. If you are cognisant of someone selling illegal alcohol or tobacco products, do report it to the Alcohol and Tobacco Unit anonymously. If there are any under-18s sales of these products, those can also be reported on the ‘Report Illegal Trading’ webpage
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