Illegal vape crackdown seizes £2,000 worth of goods in Tewkesbury
Trading standards officers from Gloucestershire County Council seized nearly 200 illegal vapes
Nearly 200 illegal vapes worth about £2,000 have been seized from a shop in Tewkesbury.
Trading standards officers from Gloucestershire County Council responded to complaints about it selling illegal vapes and tobacco.
The illegal vapes were seized for having oversized tanks.
The shop owner was handed a verbal and written warning.
During a recent test purchase the County Council discovered this warning had been ignored. They seized a further 20 vapes which were hidden in bags of biscuits.
Officers went on to discover £1,000 of illegal tobacco concealed inside a wall.
Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member for trading standards, said: “The sale of illegal tobacco is of concern because it defeats the health aims of high prices for tobacco. It is often sold to children, it damages local traders and in the case of counterfeit cigarettes, they are unlikely to self-extinguish and are a fire hazard.
“Consumers may think they are buying a duty free brand but in fact they are buying a dubious counterfeit copy.”
The trading standards investigation is continuing.