Some 5,000 illegal vapes were seized by our Regulatory Services as part of recent visits to shops across the borough.

The visits were intended as a way of offering information and advice on the avoidance of selling vapes to underage young people, but also included stock assessment, where several types of non-compliant products were seized.

Vaping devices and e-liquids are highly regulated by the government to control the amount of nicotine available and must be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The legal UK limit on nicotine content in disposable electronic cigarettes is no more than 2% (20mg/ml) and must not exceed 2ml in capacity) 

Although the expression “Puffs” on vapes has no legal meaning, illegal vapes with higher capacities are often marketed with an indication that they contain 3,500 puffs or more. 

Cllr Wendy Cain, Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities, said: “Although the short-term use of vapes can be effective as a quitting tool for smokers, vapes with larger capacity or higher strength nicotine or products without traceability name and address of a responsible person in the UK could present a risk to public health and should not be in our local shops. 

“I urge retailers to review the stock of vapes they hold to ensure they are legally compliant.”  

Further information on compliance can be obtained by emailing regulatoryservices@barnsley.gov.uk