Our work to stop illegal tobacco

Illegal cigarettes and tobacco 

Since 2021, our work has resulted in: 

  • 14,180 illegal cigarette pack seizures
  • 7 prosecutions
  • 1 closure order for a premises selling illegal tobacco
  • 1 voluntary closure of a premises selling illegal tobacco 

This table shows a breakdown of our work since 2021. 

 Illegal cigarettes seized (packs) Prosecutions Closure order Voluntary closure 
April to June 2021 210    
January to March 2022 2,275   
April to June 2022 833    
July to September 2022 276    
October to December 2022 314   
April to June 2023 2,951    
July to September 2023   
October to December 2023 1,481    
April to June 2024 3,492   
July to September 2024 187   
October to December 2024    
January to March 2025 2,159    
April to June 2025 1,321    

Illegal vapes

We regularly inspect vape products on sale in the borough and advise local retailers. 

Since 2022, our work has resulted in: 

  • 131 tests
  • 16 sales
  • 5 prosecutions
  • 2 premises licence reviews
  • 6,790 product seizures 
 Test purchases Sales Prosecutions Licence reviews Product seizures 
April to June 2022     587 
July to September 2022 16   1,412 
October to December 2022 27  1,347 
January to March 2023     478 
April to June 2023 10  775 
October to December 2023     189 
January to March 2024 32  
April to June 2024   681 
July to September 2024 13 
October to December 2024 28   757 
January to March 2025    557 
April to June 2025  669 

News stories

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