More Retailers Caught Breaking Law

Slough Borough Council said: “Trading Standards officers seized around 1,000 single use vapes from shops after the national ban came into force.

“The council’s Trading Standards officers visited stores in Slough to check for compliance with the ban on single use / disposable vapes, which came into effect on the same day.

“Since January, officers have educated 250 shops in Slough on how they could remain in compliance with the law. Despite this, around 1,000 single use vapes were seized.”

Councillor Ejaz Ahmed, lead member for Communities, Sport, Leisure and Public Protection, said: “Despite the best efforts of Trading Standards in ensuring businesses can trade legally, some ignored the warnings. The unscrupulous behaviour of traders selling illegal vapes will not be tolerated. I urge all businesses to only sell compliant vapes and dispose of illegal vapes in the correct way.”

Slough Borough Council added that officers will continue to enforce the new ban, which it states could result in a monetary penalty of £200 or prosecution.

It reminds businesses that they need to check stock and not sell any vapes which do not meet the requirements: These are that they are refillable, rechargeable and replaceable. 

All illegal stock must be removed for sale and disposed of through the correct disposal channels.

Businesses can visit the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website and if the product isn’t listed, it’s illegal - https://cms.mhra.gov.uk/ecig-new

The council says that the public can report businesses selling illegal single-use vapes via the Citizen’s Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.

The reality of continuing to sell illegal vape products was made clear in a Lincolnshire court as a Sleaford shopkeeper who stashed illegal cigarettes in jigsaw boxes and supplied illicit vapes to teens was sent to prison.

The shopkeeper who owns stores in Sleaford and Cheltenham was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay £11,700 in costs following a Trading Standards investigation.

Lincolnshire Police officers say they seized thousands of illegal vapes and cigarettes in raids at Karwan Dewari Khatab’s Fresh Fruit and Grocery store on Southgate in Sleaford between September 2023 and February 2024, when the shop was closed by court order.

In total, some 5,405 illicit cigarettes and vapes were seized, along with 3.45kg of hand rolling tobacco. Some of the items were even stashed in jigsaw boxes.

Mr Khatab was sentenced for the offences at his Sleaford and Cheltenham shops at Lincoln Crown Court on 29 May 2025.  

Andy Wright, principal trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “This is the latest in a long line of brilliant results in our fight against the scourge of counterfeit tobacco and the criminals behind this unlawful trade. The severity of this prosecution – a prison sentence and a hefty fine – shows just how seriously these offences continue to be taken and should act as a warning to any unscrupulous traders who choose to put residents at risk in their pursuit of profit.  

“Offending at Mr Khatab’s Sleaford store was brazen, with a member of staff caught red handed attempting to sell an illegal vape to an underage child in front of a police officer. These vapes exceeded the legal puff limit by several thousand and can be a dangerous gateway to a lifetime of nicotine addiction.

“More offences took place at his Cheltenham shop, where counterfeit cigarettes were sold during all 27 test purchases that were made. We are very grateful for the proactive support provided by Lincolnshire Police and partners. The sale of these products is a blight across Lincolnshire’s town centres, but by working together we continue to take strong enforcement action and protect the safety of residents.”

Lincolnshire police say reporting illegal vape sales is easy and 100% anonymous by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or going online: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information

Photo Credit:

• Photo by Matthew Ansley on Unsplash, resized and cropped

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

View Articles

Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.