Hundreds of illegal and 'potentially dangerous' vapes seized from shops

West Lothian Council's trading standards team confiscated a number of vaping and tobacco products.

Hundreds of illegal and ‘potentially dangerous’ vapes seized from West Lothian shops — Vapes seized: The products could contain harmful chemicals or high levels of nicotine. West Lothian Council

STV News

13th Mar 2024

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Hundreds of illegal and “potentially dangerous” vapes have been seized from shops in West Lothian.

The council’s trading standards team confiscated a number of vaping and tobacco products after receiving tip-offs from members of the public.

The products could contain harmful chemicals or high levels of nicotine and are not registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Executive councillor for public and community safety Craig Meek said: “Illegal vapes are a genuine danger to health, as there are no controls in place to make sure they do not contain harmful chemicals.

“Our dedicated Trading Standards team make every effort to protect West Lothian residents by making sure potentially dangerous items like this are not available for sale.

“It also prevents consumers buying potentially substandard products and stops money being diverted from legitimate local businesses selling genuine MHRA authorised products.

“We would encourage all West Lothian residents not to buy illegal vapes or tobacco, and let our Trading Standards team know if they spot them for sale, or have any further information on those involved.”

Anyone with information on illegal vapes being sold is asked to report annoymously to Trading Standards or by emailing tradingstandards@westlothian.gov.uk