Vaping: Nearly 400,000 illegal vapes seized in Kent in three years

Kent is in the top five areas in the UK for illegal vape seizures, new figures suggest

The seizure of illegal vapes in Kent has soared in the past three years, new figures show.

Since 2021, almost 400,000 illegal vapes were seized in the county, with the majority picked up at the Port of Dover, Europe's busiest ferry port.

The new figures emerged as the UK government plans to implement a ban on disposable vapes.

The vaping industry has argued any ban would lead to an escalation of illegal imports and sales.

The data - obtained by retailer Vape Club under Freedom of Information legislation - suggests the interception of illegal products nationally in the first four months of 2023 was seven times higher than the entirety of 2021.

Kent is in the top five areas in the UK for the seizures since 2021 - with 382,573 seized - making the county a "hub for counterfeit vape imports", the retailer said.

They added between 2017 and 2023, authorities seized an illegal vape from sea and airports every minute - a rate five times lower in local authorities with no ports.

In July, members of Kent County Council voted for disposable vapes to be banned on environmental grounds and due to their appeal to children.

John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, has warned of previous blanket bans on regulated single-use vapes.

"There is a massive influx of illegal, untested and potentially deadly black-market products which take their place and this is in nobody's interest," he added.

Update 20 September: This article has been changed to remove an image of ACME Vape Ltd t/a IVG vape products. The BBC would like to make clear the company's products had been used as an illustration of vape products currently available on the market and was not intended to suggest that the company's products were illegal.

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