MPs call for bigger illicit vape fines

On-the-spot (OTS) fines for stores selling illicit vapes may increase to £10,000. The news comes among government calls to crackdown on the sale of illicit vape products. MPs called for the rise of OTS fines for illegal vape sellers, from £2,500 to £10,000, at a House of Com­mons debate on 16 January.

The debate, on the use and sale of illegal vapes, included comment from Dame Andrea Leadsom, the MP for South Northamptonshire and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Primary Care and Public Health. Leadsom’s department is leading the government’s consultation on vape restrictions. Leadsom praised the government’s recent funding of £3m extra for trading standards to clamp down on illicit sellers. Yet she stressed the need for greater OTS fines to disincentivise those sell­ing illegal vapes.

The calls follow a con­sultation in October on the sale of vapes to children. One MP said retailers are seeing sales “fall off a cliff” while rogue sellers take “trade from legitimate traders”.

Growing problem

In August 2023, Vape Retailer joined Philip Morris Limited (PML) and an external consultant on an undercover sting in Brighton to find out how prevalent the issue of illicit vapes is. At the time, Will O’Reilly, who led the illicit trade prevention test purchases, said: “During our recent undercover test purchase visits in the Uncovering the growing threat of illicit on UK high streets Brighton area, the illicit trade prevention team, working on behalf of PML, made approximately 40 purchases of illicit tobacco and illicit vape products over the course of two days. This included disposable vapes with tank sizes exceeding five times the legal limit.

“Despite the most recent empty pack survey indicating Brighton & Hove has below-average prevalence of non-domestic packs, it was very easy to find and purchase illicit goods on both days of the test purchase visits, with some the disposable vape products were even displayed on-counter,” he added.