Nearly a quarter of all illegal vapes seized in the UK were found in Greater Manchester, a shocking new report has revealed.
A similar story unfolded in Bolton, which saw 4,089 seized in 2022 — surging to 37,999 last year. However, Salford trading standards officers took the most vapes in the five-year period. “The best deterrent for any crime is the likelihood of being caught and right now that is incredibly low, and rogue retailers are taking full advantage of this,” said Mr Marchant, the director of Vape Club, a e-cig retailer which commissioned the research. “We have to create an environment where there is much more chance of being caught.”
Manchester A spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: "The wide-spread use of vapes in society has naturally resulted in an upsurge in the number of dangerous or non-compliant vapes being sold. As they are nicotine products their sale and ingredients are tightly controlled by national legislation - the same legislation that as a Council we work to enforce.
Bolton A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “The trading standards team work hard to remove illegal vapes from our streets and we have a team of officers dedicated to investigating suspected illegal traders.