Where are London’s illegal vape hotspots?

London remains a hotspot for illegal vape sales, with over half a million illicit and unregulated products confiscated in 2024, a new study by online vape store Vape Club has found.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by Vape Store to 108 local authorities has exposed the scale of the UK’s illegal vape problem.

In 2024 illicit vape seizures in London boroughs doubled to over 500,000 compared to the previous year, it found.

London Borough of Hillingdon - home to Heathrow Airport - has emerged as a major hotspot for illegal vapes, accounting for 40% of the UK’s total seizures in 2024, with 484,954 illicit vapes confiscated in the past year.

Over the past five years, more than one million illicit vapes have been confiscated in this borough alone, said Vape Club.

Following, Ealing Council ranked second with 9,072 illegal vapes seized, while Hackney took third place with 6,520 confiscated vapes, the study found.

Bordering the capital, Essex and Kent seized over 300,000 and 400,000 illegal vapes respectively in 2024, highlighting these areas as two of London’s major import hubs, said the online vape store.

Despite 137 recorded cases of illegal vape sales, only eight penalties were issued in London, with fines averaging £984 - less than half the £2,500 maximum.

Without stricter controls and more resources for enforcement, illegal sales could surge, especially after the UK’s disposable vape ban in June 2025, Vape Club said.

“The real issue of illicit vape sales lies in the inadequate enforcement of current regulations and penalties for those in violation of the law,” commented Dan Marchant, director at Vape Club.

“With the disposable vape ban coming into force, we risk a new generation of illegal and potentially dangerous vaping products in the UK, all because the core of the issue has not been addressed. This boils down to lackluster fines and little structure to provide Trading Standards with adequate funding,” he said.

Vape Club strongly supports the vape licensing scheme. It would generate “much needed” revenue to support Border Force in preventing illegal products from entering the country, it said.

Moreover, the scheme would empower Trading Standards to “flush out retailers flouting the law and impose significant penalties,” it said.

Echoing similar views, the scheme has also gained retailer support in the fight against rogue traders.

However, a recent study by the Express found that over 90% of councils are unprepared for the licensing scheme introduced in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.