Following on from last month’s story on dodgy UK stores selling vapes to underage shoppers uncovered in a report from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, a new study by online retailer Vape Superstore has now highlighted the UK councils who’ve reported the most illegal activity in the sector since 2022/23.
The data shows the councils that have reported the most failures during underage test purchasing operations, and those which have seen the biggest increase in failures over three years.
Both Dorset and Herefordshire’s councils reported that a shocking 100% of their test operations have failed since 2022/23, spanning their four operations during the three years.
Elsewhere on the list, Torfaen County Borough Council scored highly, with eight of its nine test purchase operations failing over the same period.
Lewisham Borough Council also fared badly, with 80% of its tests failing. Portsmouth, East Sussex and Norfolk’s councils also appeared in the top ten.
When it comes to councils who’ve seen the biggest increase in test purchase failures, Glasgow City topped the list, with an increase of 2,400% - rising from one failure in 2022/23 to 25 in 2024/25. Kent County Council also saw a sharp rise, from two failures to 35.
“This is incredibly concerning and undermines the effort most retailers take to protect young people.”
Speaking on the results, David Phillips, from Vape Superstore, said: “Our research shows there’s a clear issue with minors being sold vaping products in some areas of the UK. This is incredibly concerning and completely undermines the significant effort most retailers take to protect young people from vaping prematurely.
“As an industry, we have a responsibility to uphold the highest standards and protecting minors must be a non-negotiable priority.
“We fully support stronger enforcement against those who fail to comply with the age-restricted laws on vaping products. Preventing underage access to vapes is essential to maintaining trust, as regulated vaping is a harm-reduction and a successful quit-smoking tool.”
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