Illegal vapes worth £5000 seized in Liverpool

Liverpool City Council said its alcohol and tobacco unit, working alongside Merseyside Police, have seized £5000 worth of illicit vape products and 3000 counterfeit cigarettes worth £6000 last week.

The products were seized from a shop in Walton Vale as part Operation Delilah, a national day tackling the supply of illicit tobacco and vaping products.

The seizure follows the approval of a Tobacco Control Strategy at lastweek’s Cabinet meeting, which will enable the council’s public health team to use the local stop smoking services and funding from the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) to scale up the numbers who successfully quit smoking in Liverpool.

A further two shops in Liverpool have also been closed due to these sales – Happy Convenience Store in Old Swan and Daily Mini Market in Tuebrook – and disposal of the seized products continues at pace, the council said.

In the last month, the unit has disposed of 450kg of vapes from shops across Liverpool. The vapes are recycled by a Manchester based contractor that has been authorised by Trading Standards North West to recycle these products.

“The work we are doing on illicit vapes sends a clear message to other retailers in our city who are trading in illegal products,” Matt Ashton, director of public health at Liverpool City Council, said.

“While genuine vaping products continue to provide a viable alternative for those who want to quit smoking, the guidance remains that these should always be sourced from reputable retailers and if you don’t smoke already, don’t start vaping.”