Nearly 16,000 illegal vapes have been seized by Hampshire County Council over a 14-month period - the eighth highest number recorded in the UK.
Vape Superstore submitted a Freedom of Information request to UK councils asking how many illegal vapes had been seized by the local authority between January 1 2023 and February 29 2024.
Tens of thousands of illegal vapes are being seized from black market sellers in police raids across the UK every month.
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Non-regulated vapes pose a danger as they may contain different amounts of nicotine to the amounts stated on the packaging, as well as having a higher chance of containing harmful chemicals.
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An estimated one-third of vapes currently sold in the UK are believed to be non-compliant with
regulations. This figure could substantially rise with the upcoming disposable vape ban in 2025.
Vape Superstore wanted to find out how prevalent this issue is and which UK regions have the biggest problem with black market vape distribution.
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In Hampshire, 15,999 vapes were seized by the county council, ranking Hampshire as having the eighth highest amount of illegal vapes seized. The highest was Kent County Council, where a whopping 431,005 were seized.
David Phillips, from Vape Superstore, said: “Vaping can be an effective way to quit smoking, but the influx of illegal vapes into the market has created a dangerous black market that consumers aren’t always aware of.
"Our study shows that the illegal vape black market is a big concern across the UK, but particularly in areas like Kent, Lancashire, Anglesey and Swansea to name a few. With raised awareness about the dangers of these products, we believe that consumers will be able to make better informed purchasing decisions in the future."
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