Recent Freedom of information (FOI) requests issued by vape retailer Totally Wicked have revealed that more than 1.5m illegal vapes were seized by local trading standards officers and police so far this year.
As reported previously, the demand for non-compliant vapes shows no sign of slowing, and the new measures announced by the Government to crack down on these – as well as the impact on the nation’s health – will doubtless be monitored closely in the next 12 months.
In fact, the FOI data represents a decrease in illegal vape seizures from the market’s peak in 2023, when 2.5 million units were confiscated, down to 1.5 million units so far this year. The decline suggests enforcement efforts by Trading Standards and policing have been effective and disrupted supply chains in certain areas. Areas like Greater London witnessed a decrease in seizures from their peak levels in 2023, but remain a focal point for enforcement due to population density and market size.
Essex County Council reported the largest increase in seizures, while Scotland, the North East, and South West England have reported increases in illegal vape seizures this year
Totally Wicked submitted FOI requests to over 200 local councils and authorities across the UK, gathering data on the number of illegal vapes seized by Trading Standards officers between 2022 and 2024. While Northern Ireland reported zero seizures in 2024, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council did disclose that a shop voluntarily surrendered their supplies of illicit vaping products once they were made aware that their products were non-compliant and potentially unsafe.
Despite these successes, the illegal vape market remains an issue across the country with certain areas seeing an increase of criminal activity. The East of England saw the largest increase, with 336,507 more vapes seized by authorities than the previous year. A large portion of the growth came from Essex County Council, which recorded the highest volume of illegal vape seizures in the country, due to 329,000 non-compliant units being refused entry at seaports and subsequently returned to their country of origin.
Commenting on the findings, Marcus Saxton, CEO and Chairman of the Independent British Vape Trade Association, said: “Despite this being a regulated industry, some distributors and retailers are either unaware or choose not to follow the rules. We welcome any crackdown on illegal and unsafe vaping products, as it helps protect consumers and ensures that only compliant products are available on the market.”
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