Nearly 30,000 illegal vapes seized in Hull last year

Almost 29,000 illegal vapes were seized in Hull last year, up from none two years before according to council figures.

Hull City Council figures showed the number of vapes seized following illegal underage sales was 28,917 in 2023, compared to 566 in 2022 and none in 2021.

Anlaby Road, Beverley Road, Hessle Road and Spring Bank had the largest number of seizures with a combined total of 99 visits from council enforcement officers.

It comes as the number of complaints made against shops for underage vape sales rose from one lodged in 2020-1 to 48 in 2022-3.

Anlaby Road had the highest number of seizures of any in Hull, with 32, followed by Beverley Road with 31.

Hessle Road and Spring Bank had 18 each, while Holderness Road and Endike Lane had 13 each and Newland Avenue saw 12 seizures.

It comes as the Government has announced proposals to ban the sale of single use vapes by 2025.

There are also plans to regulate packaging and shop displays and give councils the power to issue £100 fixed penalty notices to shops selling them to children.

That is on top of maximum fines of £2,500 that local authorities can already hand down for underage sales.

It came as part of measures unveiled to try and create a smoke-free generation, including by banning cigarette sales to anyone born after January 2009 from 2027.