Illegal vapes made to appeal to kids and worth nearly £100,000 seized from Greater Manchester shops

Illegal vapes, many aimed at children, and worth nearly £100,000, have been seized from shops in Greater Manchester in recent days. In Stockport three premises were raided by police and trading standards officers resultuing in £80,000 worth being recovered.

They were all seized for having more than the legal limit of liquid in the chamber, and a few were also displaying the wrong health warnings. The UK legal limit on nicotine in disposable e-cigarettes is no more than two per cent (20ml) and must not exceed 2ml in capacity - around 600 'puffs'.

In another raid, police acting on a tip-off from the local community and working with council enforcement officers, seized 942 vapes from iBlaze Vape in Burnage. Their approximate value was £16,500.

Sgt Stuart Farrell of GMP's South Neighbourhood Team, said: “These results will have made a dent in the pockets of these traders. Many of the disposable vapes seized had packaging and flavouring aimed specifically to appeal to children and young people.

“There has been a rapid rise of vaping among children and young people, including the use of cheaper illicit and unregulated vape which is extremely concerning. The health implications they have on young people can be significant, and the rise of single-use vapes is causing environmental issues across the country.

"As a force, Greater Manchester Police are committed to making communities safer and better places to live and work, and we will always work closely with community members to ensure we achieve this. If there is anything anyone is concerned about relating to illicit vapes, I would encourage them to contact us via 101 or through the Live Chat function on the website www.gmp.police.uk.

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