1. How many shops has your council’s Trading Standards team seized illegal cigarettes, tobacco or vaping products from in the individual financial years 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025?
If possible please break this down by:
a. Estimated value in Pound Sterling of items seized
Information not held
b. Total number of items seized
c. Product type seized (cigarettes, vapes, other vaping products such as e-liquids, rolling tobacco or other)
d. Type of shop (e.g. mini mart, vape shop, barber, car wash)
Please see the table below:
| 1/4/2022 – 31/3/2023 | 1/4/2023 – 31/3/2024 | 1/4/2024 – 31/3/2025 | |
| Number of vapes seized from shops | 4908 | 5707 | 3102 |
| Number of shops vapes seized from * | 25 | 20 | 22 |
| (20 x convenience stores, 1 x discount store, 1 x watch shop, 1 x phone shop, 1 x greengrocer) | (16 x convenience stores, 2 x newsagents, 1 x vape shop, 1 x discount store) | (21 x convenience stores, 1 x phone shop) | |
| Number of packs of cigarettes seized from shops | 24188 | 17073 | 9543 |
| Number of shops cigarettes seized from * | 18 | 18 | 22 |
| (shop types not categorised) | (17 x convenience stores, 1 x car wash) | (21 x convenience stores, 1 x vape shop) | |
| Number of pouches of hand rolling tobacco seized from shops | 2097 | 1717 | 2203 |
| Number of shops hand rolling toacco seized from | 18 | 18 | 23 |
| (shop types not categorised) | (17 x convenience stores, 1 x car wash) | (22 x convenience stores, 1 x vape shop) | |
*Some shops may have had items seized on more than one occasion
We should clarify that this data given relates to the Heart of the South West Trading Standards area – which includes the areas covered by Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council, Somerset Council and Torbay Council.
2. How many shops have been shut in your local authority due to seizures of illegal cigarettes, tobacco or vapes in the individual financial years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25?
One temporary closure order was made by the courts in 2022 and one in 2023 against separate premises in our area, involving illegal vaping product sales as an element. One was made in 2023 with illegal tobacco as an element. The orders were obtained by another agency on our behalf.
Within each financial year, please break this down by:
a. Temporary closures – See the table above
b. Permanent closures (Please indicate whether your Trading Standards body has the power to permanently close shops. If not, please indicate who does have this power and if you hold information on these figures.) – None. Our Trading Standards Service does not have the power to apply for closure orders – applications can be made by district / unitary councils or the Police.
c. Number of times the same shop has been closed due to the above. Please indicate whether the most recent closure was permanent or temporary – See the table above