Teenagers are being sold banned vaping devices containing up to 3,500 puffs, investigation shows 

Oct 31, 2024

By Mary O'connor 01:38 06 Feb 2023, updated 01:42 06 Feb 2023

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Schoolchildren are buying illegal supersize vapes over the counter from local corner shops, a Mail investigation has found.

It is illegal to sell vapes containing nicotine to under-18s, but in some parts of the country many shops sell the devices to youngsters for around £5 – with no questions asked.

Some stores sell devices that are more than five times the legal size, giving young users up to 3,500 puffs instead of the legal limit of between 600 and 800.

Authorities are trying to seize these products amid fears the craze could see children become addicted to nicotine and be at greater risk of chronic lung conditions.

The Mail visited 30 corner shops and phone stores with Trading Standards officers last month.

In Newcastle, for example, two male volunteers age 16 and 17 were sold vapes in ten of 15 shops visited.

Four shops sold the teens banned Elux Legend 3,500 puff vapes – the equivalent nicotine content of nearly 120 cigarettes.

The packaging of vapes sold during the undercover exercise had nicotine warnings and symbols showing they must not be sold to under-18s.

When one shop was raided by Trading Standards, officers found large packs of the Happy Vibes vapes on display as well as a black duffle bag containing illegal cigarettes and supersized vapes hidden beneath the counter.

The seller told officers he did not have the right to work in the UK and was an Iraqi migrant staying at a local asylum hotel.

A woman who claimed to be his girlfriend said she worked in the shop and had asked him to keep an eye on the counter while she went for a coffee.

The 10 shops in Newcastle that sold vapes to the children are not facing legal action but will be subject to monitoring by Trading Standards.

Paul Leighton, senior Trading Standards officer at Newcastle City Council, said reports of illegal vapes sales and underage sales had 'exploded' in the area.

'A lot of independent businesses seem to have recognised the popularity of these vapes among young people and others, and they are just cashing in.'

He said some shops selling banned vapes use stealth tactics to avoid detection, including concealing them in floors, fridges and even behind fake boiler covers.

Others hide them in cars outside and bring them in when customers request them.

A London-based teacher later told the Mail how increasing numbers of students are being excluded for vaping in school, and lambasted local shops for selling to children in school uniforms.

Meanwhile, one teenager told the Mail how their peers hide vapes in toilet tanks, underneath toilet brushes and in toilet block ceilings to conceal the habit.

John Herriman, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), a membership body for Trading Standards officers, said: 'We very much welcome this investigation by the Daily Mail, particularly because this helps to highlight the mounting concerns our profession have about the sale and supply of illicit vapes and to those underage – this is something which Trading Standards teams across the country are now sadly finding on a regular basis.'

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