Almost 2,500 illegal vapes have been seized from a shop in Ipswich after it was found they were over the legal limit of puffs.  

The vapes were found in the storeroom of the store after officers from Suffolk Trading Standards visited as part of a test purchase of illegal tobacco. 

The vapes were found to be illegal as they supply between 3,500 and 10,000 puffs, more than the maximum of 600 under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.

This is up to more than 16 times the legal limit. 

Ipswich Star: Officers visited the store initially to purchase tobaccoOfficers visited the store initially to purchase tobacco (Image: Suffolk Trading Standards)

Ipswich Star: Investigations remain ongoingInvestigations remain ongoing (Image: Suffolk Trading Standards)

Graham Crisp, head of Suffolk Trading Standards, said: “Illegal vapes such as these breach the safety legislation and indicate that they could be unsafe to use.

“That legislation is in place to help protect the public, and businesses who break those regulations can expect tough penalties.

“We will continue to carry out checks on retailers across Suffolk, taking legal action where necessary.”

Councillor Andrew Reid, Suffolk County Council cabinet member for public health and public protection, said: "Vaping has an important role to play in helping smokers to quit, especially when used in conjunction with specialist support from a stop smoking service.

“However illegal devices such as these are nothing to do with helping people quit smoking, instead they exacerbate the problem of inappropriate vaping.

“This seizure is another example of the on-going excellent work being carried out by Suffolk Trading Standards in tackling this problem.”