Hundreds of illegal disposable vapes worth £5.5k have been seized following raids on shops in Hartlepool.
Almost 500 of the illegal ‘geek bar’ fakes were seized after reports they were on sale, and some shops had sold them to kids – both of which are criminal offences.
The stash, worth £5,500, was seized in a series of raids by Hartlepool Council’s trading standards who are now using undercover kids to test if shops will sell the vapes to youngsters.
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Disposable vapes must have safety warnings on the packaging and a tank of less than 2ml, which the illegal vapes exceed.
Ian Harrison, the Council’s Trading Standards and Licensing Manager, said: “We have removed almost 500 illegal vapes from local shops and we have begun to use child volunteers to see if shops are willing to sell to them – in the same way that we target premises making under age sales of cigarettes and alcohol.
“Anyone found to be selling vapes, or any other age restricted products, to children will be prosecuted.
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“We were able to identify target premises because packaging from the disposable vapes is invariably dropped on the street, creating a signpost to premises selling these illegal items.
“The rapid emergence and increasing popularity of disposable vapes has led to a number of illegal products entering the market.”
Investigations into the seized vapes are ongoing, and Mr Harrison has appealed for anyone with information about the sale of illegal vapes, or the supply of them to children to contact the council’s trading standards team on 01429 523362.
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