Illegal vapes with high levels of nicotine worth £14,000 seized from Walsall shops

Hundreds of illegal vape pens worth £14,000 have been seized from Walsall shops, stated recent local reports.

During a recent sting, Trading Standards officers reported to have found hundreds of illegal and branded vape bars. As per the local reports, some of confiscated vapes contain five times the amount of nicotine and e-liquid that is legal – with an average vape yielding up to 1,500 puffs – the equivalent of smoking over 100 cigarettes.

Illegal vapes such as these are often fruit flavoured and brightly coloured to make them more attractive to children, Walsall Council said, adding that it is illegal to sell any vape products to under 18s and these super-strength fake vapes pose severe level of risk to all users.

“Looking at this recent haul of seized vapes, I’m very pleased these products have been ‘vaporised’ from our streets. Well done Trading Standards,” Councillor Garry Perry, deputy leader of Walsall Council with a portfolio for regulatory services, said.

“The sale of these super strength pens and vapes is widespread in a range of businesses – not just in Walsall, but across the whole country. The council is very concerned to see products like these ‘normalised’ in different settings. In some cases, they have even turned up in fish and chip shops. This may also give a false sense of security to those buying them and will mask the danger.

“Illegal vapes pose a real hazard to children and young people, hooking them into a dangerous nicotine habit. Parents’ have rightly voiced their concerns to us – not only about the scarily high levels of nicotine but because they are cynically marketed to youngsters and disguised with fruit flavours to lure them in,” reports quoted Perry as the council will continue to take a “zero tolerance approach” to the production and sale of illegal vapes, illicit tobacco and use every enforcement action there is to shut it down.