More than 1,000 illegal vapes seized in March and Chatteris shops

More than 1,000 illegal vapes have been seized across two Fenland towns.

On July 1, nearly 1,500 vapes were confiscated from four different shops in Chatteris and March.

Both Cambridgeshire County Council and Fenland District Council received intel from "concerned" members of the public, which lead to the seizure of the vapes.

The seizures were part of a multi-agency operation that Cambridgeshire County Council's Trading Standards Team took part in, along with Fenland District Council's Licensing Team and HMRC.

The Trading Standards team have carried out raids in Ely, Littleport and Ramsey so far in 2024, which has lead to the seizure of 5,000 illegal vapes.

The council is trying to tackle the supply of illegal tobacco and nicotine products.

In 2023, 8,800 vapes, more than 26,000 illicit cigarettes, and 38 packs of hand rolling tobacco were seized in Cambridgeshire by the Trading Standards team.

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Some of the issues surrounding the vapes include the tank sizes which are illegal in the UK. This is due to the quantities of liquid they contain and vapes that wrongly state that they have no nicotine in.

Anyone wishing to share intelligence or suspicions about criminal activity like this can report it online, anonymously at: www.keep-it-out.co.uk.

Alternatively, Trading Standard’s advice partner, the Citizens Advice Consumer Service, can be contacted on 0808 223 1133 Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.