Thousands of illegal vapes and cigarettes seized

Although vape sales are legal, they must meet specific requirements to be sold in England

More than 12,000 illicit vapes and packs of cigarettes have been seized in a city this year.

A quarterly report by Peterborough City Council revealed that vapes, packs of cigarettes and tobacco were all seized.

Trading standards officers removed 2,401 illegal vapes from shops, 9,807 packs of cigarettes and more than 12.5kg of hand rolling tobacco.

The government is looking at measures to tackle a rise in youth vaping, including banning the use of disposable vapes.

Although the products are legal in England, there are specific requirements they must meet for them to be sold.

Vapes cannot contain more than 2% nicotine and or certain ingredients such as diactyl, a flavouring agent.

The council outlined that "illicit tobacco" would include either genuine tobacco products which have been smuggled into the UK without paying duty - or counterfeit products of established brands which have been illegally manufactured.

Cambridgeshire County Council said the tell-tale signs of counterfeit tobacco included an unusual taste, cheap pricing and unusual packaging.

According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), about14% per cent of adults in Peterborough are smokers, a similar proportion to Cambridge. 

But adults in Fenland are far more likely to smoke. With nearly 28% of its population smoking, it has the highest rate in England.