The UK is struggling to hold off the colossal number of illegal vapes entering its borders, with two million having been seized since 2022, according to data sourced by vape retailer Vape Club. In fact, the number of illegal vapes seized in the UK this year is over double the number of counterfeit cigarettes, it claims.
Illegal vapes seized in the first four months of 2023 were seven times higher than seizures in the entirety of 2021, according to the latest Freedom of Information request obtained by Vape Club, which advocates for the elimination of illegal vapes. These range from products that do not comply with UK regulations and have not been through the appropriate testing to ensure safety, to counterfeits of popular brands.
The vaping industry is now calling for stronger clampdowns, regulation enforcement, and illegal vaping products to be treated as seriously as counterfeit cigarettes.
Counterfeit vapes are an issue across the whole of the UK, with most of the top offending regions located in England. Since 2021, London, the South East and North West have consistently been in the top three regions for counterfeit vape seizures, with the UK’s busiest borders having the most illegal vape imports.
Dan Marchant, director of vaping and e-liquids retailer, Vape Club, said:
“Illicit vaping products have the potential to be dangerous to the user’s health. Under UK law, the maximum volume of e-liquid that can legally be in a vape product is 2ml, which will equate to around 500-700 puffs. Any product claiming to be more than this is usually a reliable indication that the product is not legal and has not been through the appropriate testing and safety measures.”
“The responsible side of the industry is literally begging for the authorities to enforce the regulations and take serious action against the businesses flouting the rules. What’s needed is a licensing scheme so proper age verification tests can be applied to every retailer. There must also be higher fines applied to every breach for the rogue sellers. The UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) is calling for the fines to be raised to at least £10,000, which would be a real deterrent.”
Councillor Hazel Simmons MBE, leader of Luton council, said:
‘’The sale of illicit tobacco, vape pens and shisha is often linked to wider organised criminal activity, so we have good reason to be vigilant. The sale of illicit vape pens and tobacco evades tax and is unfair to honest traders.
“They also put people’s health at risk, which is particularly concerning when the traders sell to children. It is important that parents and carers engage with their children to ensure that they are not being sold nicotine-containing vape pens when under 18 years of age.”
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