Salford raid: Illegal vapes worth more than £400k seized

Three van loads of illegal disposable vapes and e-liquids were found by officers

More than £400,000 worth of illegal vapes - some with up to 11 times the legal limit of e-liquid - have been seized after a raid.

Trading standards officers with support from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) made the discovery in Salford after a complaint was made about the company.

More than 35,000 disposable vapes and 3,500 e-liquids were found in a storage area concealed behind shutters.

Salford City Council said a criminal investigation had been launched.

Since January, the team has seized almost 85,000 illegal vaping products, worth more than £650,000.

One of the vapes seized was blueberry flavoured and shaped like a soft drink toy, raising fears some producers were deliberately targeting children, the council said.

Salford City Council has issued a warning to local companies following the discovery

Councillor Barbara Bentham, lead member for environment and community safety, said: "Some producers are cynically and deliberately designing vapes to appeal to children and it's horrifying to find a local business buying into that exploitation.

"I'm very grateful to the person who complained about this, enabling our officers and police to go in and clear the shelves of these non-compliant and illegal products."

She added "properly regulated vapes" could be a "great way for adults to stop smoking but non smokers and under 18s should not be using them because nicotine is highly addictive".