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3200 illegal vapes recycled following Council crackdown

11:00 pm, Friday, 19th July 2024 - 5 months ago

Trading Standards

Nearly half a tonne of illegal vapes have been sent for safe recycling following a number of

The haul comes after a the conclusion of a number of court cases where offenders received a range of penalties from written warnings to financial sanctions.

These represent just a fraction of the 12,000 illegal vapes that have been seized in the past 12 months across North East Lincolnshire. In November last year, a further 3,700 vapes were disposed of.

The most recent batch sent for recycling were deemed illegal for a number of reasons:

  • Internal tanks holding more than the legal limit of nicotine infused liquid (2ml). These vapes were found to have as much as 24ml.
  • A lack of correct warnings on the packaging
  • Warnings designed for an American market
  • Packaging did not contain leaflets about advice on safe use of the product
  • None had been registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MRHA), a legal requirement for all vaping liquids before they can be sold

The vapes were seized as part of Operation Joseph, a National Trading Standards initiative to tackle the supply and sale of illegal vapes and e-cigarettes. The oversized products, offering up to 24ml capacity, have an estimated 15,000 puffs, which is twelve times the legal limit.

Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, Councillor Ron Shepherd, said: “Tackling illegal vapes remains a priority for our Trading Standards service and we’re very pleased to see this number of devices removed from sale.

“Illegal and oversized vaping products are becoming increasingly popular but can be harmful to people’s health, which is why we’re working hard to remove them from the streets. We are also seeing an increase in the sale of them to young people, which is a worrying trend and something we are keen to stamp out. 

“We do rely on intelligence from the public about the sales of illegal products, so anyone with information should call Citizens Advice on  0808 223 1133 to report the matter to Trading Standards.”

He added: “It is important to remember that whilst legitimate disposable vaping bars can be a very useful aid to smokers who are wanting to quit, they still have potential health issues as a result of use,  and should never be purchased and used by non-smokers”.

For help to quit smoking, click here.

Speaking about quitting smoking, Cllr Stan Shreeve, NELC Portfolio holder for Heath, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care,  said: “I urge smokers in our region to use the support services on offer to help them to quit smoking.

“We have so many examples of people turning their lives around completely after quitting smoking with support from the Wellbeing Team, and you only have to look at the figures released today to see what a positive impact that could have for everyone.”

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