Lancashire has been revealed as a hotspot for illegal vapes, with 14,552 illegal vape seizures since last year.

The number of illegal vape seizures has grown in the past four years, with just 333 recorded in 2019 in comparison. 

This month saw police officers from South Ribble, accompanied by Trading Standards, conduct visits to four stores in Leyland following information provided by the public.

3,227 items were confiscated, all of which were seized for displaying incorrect health warnings and containing more than the legal limit within the chamber.

County Councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing at Lancashire County Council said: "The sale of vapes to children and the availability of illegal vapes is a real concern to our Trading Standards team and complaints from members of the public about this issue have increased significantly in the last few years. 

"We continue to support legitimate retailers to ensure that products are sold responsibly to smokers looking to quit and take action against unscrupulous businesses to remove illegal vapes from the shelves. 

"We welcome the government consultation on youth vaping as part of measures to clamp down on vapes being promoted to children and we will be responding fully.

"We regularly carry out test purchasing at businesses in Lancashire to check whether they are operating within the legal regulations.

"Where they are found to be breaking the law, we seize the goods and take legal action.

"We will not tolerate the exploitation of our residents, especially young people, by unscrupulous businesses and will continue to take action against them in order to safeguard the health and wellbeing of Lancashire's residents.

"We thank the public for their support and would welcome further reports of anything suspicious being made to our Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 2231133."

The UK has been flooded with two million illegal vapes from its borders since 2022 as it struggles to hold off the illegal vaping surge, enough for almost four to be sold every minute.

Illegal vapes seized across the UK 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.

The industry is calling for the products to be treated as seriously as counterfeit cigarettes as it was found that the number of illegal vapes seized in the UK this year was over double the number of counterfeit cigarettes seized. 

Since 2021, London, the South East and North West have consistently been in the top three regions for illegal vape seizures, with the UK’s busiest borders having the highest illegal vape imports.

Dan Marchant, the director of the UK’s largest vaping retailer, Vape Club, said: “Illicit vaping products have the potential to be dangerous to the user's health.

"We’d advise steering clear of any retailer you’re unsure of, making sure to buy from reputable retailers.

"An illegal vape can sometimes be spotted by the product description, specifically the number of puffs being advertised.

"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 UK Vaping Industry Association is calling for the fines to be raised to at least £10,000, which would be a real deterrent."