Nearly 1,000 illegal single-use vapes taken off Luton’s streets

From June 1, traders were banned from selling all single-use vapes and were told to remove them from display and dispose of responsibly, or face prosecution.

Luton Trading Standards have seized 926 single-use vapes from five premises in the town.

Councillor Maria Lovell, portfolio holder for Trading Standards, said: “We’re determined to keep our town a safe place for everyone, and these successful operations demonstrate how hard our Trading Standards team work to investigate and, where possible, take action against retailers who are caught flouting the law and selling illicit tobacco and vaping products that could severely harm the health of our residents.”

All vape retailers must have a waste take back bin or similar arrangement in store for customers to return old vapes (including single use vapes), and a waste contract in place for proper disposal.