Illegal vapes still on sale six months after Government ban, LBC reveals

Back in June, I visited the city a day after the new legislation came into force and was able to buy illegal vapes in all five shops I stopped at. Now, I’ve been back to the city to test whether the ban is being enforced half a year later.

This time, I visited 14 shops across Nottingham and was still able to buy four illegal disposable vapes.

While the number of shops selling the banned devices appears to have fallen from my first experiment, the findings show that illegal products remain widely available.

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The Government introduced the ban to tackle rising youth vaping, warning that brightly coloured disposables and confectionery-style flavours were targeting school-aged children.

Ministers also argued that single-use vapes created a “mountain of plastic waste”, with millions thrown away every week.

But despite the ban and repeated warnings from Trading Standards, some retailers continue to stock the products.

In one Nottingham convenience store, where I purchased a ‘Banana Ice’ Crystal disposable vape, the shopkeeper commented that he “didn’t have many left” and they were selling at just £3.50 per 600 puff vape – the equivalent of 60 cigarettes.

I also wasn’t asked for any ID to prove I was old enough to purchase the vape.

In another shop, after selecting an illegal disposable vape from behind the counter, I was offered an “upgrade” to a device with even more puffs: 4000 for £4 to be precise. That is a product that had already been illegal long before the Government’s crackdown earlier this year because it contained excessive amounts of nicotine.

Ten out of the 14 retailers I went to were only selling legally compliant vapes.

For it to be considered legal and not single-use, it must be rechargeable, have a replaceable coil or mesh, and be refillable or allow for pods to be replaced.

A Government spokesperson told LBC: “Single-use vapes get kids hooked on nicotine and blight our high streets - it’s why we’ve taken tough action and banned them.

“Rogue traders will face serious penalties. Those who show a blatant disregard for the rules and reoffend face unlimited fines or jail time.

“We’re working with Trading Standards and local authorities to enforce the ban and have made it compulsory for all vape retailers to provide recycling bins, with 10,500 takeback bins introduced in UK stores since April.”

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council said: "Retailers have a legal duty to comply with the law, and Trading Standards will respond to any reports of illegal vape sales.

"Any reports we receive will be followed up with investigations and enforcement where necessary to ensure compliance. This may include the seizure of illegal products and potentially prosecution.

"We encourage anyone with information about the sale of illegal vapes to report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133, which works in partnership with Trading Standards."