Illegal vapes worth over £4,000 seized from Exeter shop

Trading Standards, assisted by police, carried out a raid on Fore Street Vapes in Heavitree

We have more newsletters

A raid carried out on a new vape shop in Exeter has resulted in more than £4,000 worth of illegal vapes being seized. Trading Standards, assisted by police officers, visited Fore Street Vapes today, August 31.

It is five weeks since a DevonLive reporter visited the shop which had recently opened in Heavitree and was sold a Firerose disposable vape with 4,500 puffs and a Tornado disposable 9,000 puff, both of which were in full public view.

There are strict rules about the selling of vapes. They cannot be sold to those under 18 years old and the maximum tank size is 2ml - the equivalent of around 600 to 650 puffs for disposables.

Read more: Late night Exeter attack leaves one seriously injured

DevonLive reported on August 7 what it had been sold during its visit to the former Afro Hair Creations salon on July 25, and how the owner of a reputable vape shop in Exeter said staff members had also purchased products from Fore Street Vapes that were illegal to sell in the UK.

It was claimed there were 9,000 puffs vapes on display and the shop was also offering tobacco and cigarettes from other countries, and alleged counterfeit cigarettes.

Fore Street Vapes is also stocked with energy drinks and snacks such as sweets and crisps, and has been open daily and late into the evening. Recently its shop signage has been removed from the front of the premises.

A local resident has told how the joint operation today lasted around two hours with goods from inside the shop seen being seized. Police have confirmed officers assisted Trading Standards with a visit to a commercial premises in Exeter today.

A Devon County Council spokesperson said: "A joint operation was carried out this afternoon by Heart of the South West TS and DCP. The visit was carried out following complaints and information from the public concerning the sale of cheap tobacco and vapes from a premises known as Fore Street Vapes, 74 Fore Street, Heavitree.

"The PC leading for DCP was PC Nathan Arscott. During the enforcement visit, over 400 illegal vapes were found with a street value of over £4,000. Enquiries are ongoing."

If the number of puffs claimed on a disposable device is more than around 600, it’s not allowed to be on the UK market. Warnings also have to cover 30 per cent of the front and back of the pack.

Doctors have called for an outright ban on disposable vapes – which come in bright colours and a variety of flavours – to reduce their popularity among young people as the long-term impact remains unknown. There is rising concern over youth vaping in Britain, with the latest survey by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) showing a rise in recent years.

In 2022, serve per cent of 11- to 17-year-olds surveyed said they used vapes, compared with 3.3 per cent in 2021. Non-compliant vapes are particularly popular with underage consumers because they are cheap and could be bought in places that were less likely to check ID.

Illegal vapes often did not have the right warnings or information on their packaging. They also pose significant risks to users, as they’re not regulated or evaluated for safety or quality.

There is a legal limit of 20mg per millilitre of E-Liquid (or, 2% nicotine) imposed by UK regulators. The nicotine strength in E-Liquids must adhere to this specific limit to be approved for sale in the UK.

The owner of Fore Street Vapes was previously been contacted for a comment.