New funding to ramp up fight against illegal and underage vape sales

A new £10 million boost for Trading Standards has been unveiled on Saturday to fund an expected 80 more apprentice enforcement officers to stop harmful tobacco and vape products finding their way into neighbourhood shops and stopping underage vape sales.

The package builds on the measures in place to tackle illicit tobacco and vapes, including HMRC and Border Force’s £100 million illicit tobacco strategy to crack down on illegal tobacco. Alongside this, the new vaping duty (which will come into force in 2026) will introduce new civil and criminal powers, giving them the ability to seize products and recruit over 200 additional compliance staff.

This new funding sits alongside the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which proposes to gradually end the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.

The bill will also introduce new £200 on-the-spot fines in England and Wales for breaches of age of sale restrictions, alongside powers to introduce a licensing scheme for retailers to sell tobacco, vape and nicotine products in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“Buying illicit tobacco and vapes may save a few pennies in your pocket, but they can be incredibly dangerous and are often linked to criminal activity,” Ashley Dalton, the minister for public health and prevention, said.

“It’s vital the Tobacco and Vapes Bill moves forward so we can tackle this illicit trade and free our children from a life imprisoned by addiction. By phasing out tobacco, introducing new restrictions on vapes and putting more boots on our streets, we’re taking the concrete action needed to deliver our Plan for Change and bring us that one step closer to a healthier, smoke-free future.”

John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), welcomed the announcement.

“This much-needed investment will strengthen our ability to support businesses in complying with current and future tobacco and vaping regulations and will also ensure we are well placed to support the protection of public health,” Herriman said.

“It also reinforces our commitment to taking firm action against anyone who seeks to harm their local communities by choosing to operate outside the law.”

Lord Michael Bichard, chair, National Trading Standards, added: “The scourge of illicit nicotine products are largely powered by organised crime, and the products represent an important money-spinner that help fund organised crime groups’ other illegal schemes, such as human trafficking and modern slavery.

“While Trading Standards seized more than a million illegal vapes, 19 million counterfeit cigarettes and 5,103kg of illicit hand rolling tobacco last year, further action and resources are needed by enforcement bodies to disrupt supply and clamp down on the perpetrators. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is an important step in the right direction, providing more resources to a stretched Trading Standards workforce who, alongside other enforcement partners, are working hard to help the government meet its aims for a smoke-free generation.”