Cornwall Council Trading Standards work with local and regional partners to tackle the supply of illegal tobacco and to ensure that vapes (also known as e-cigarettes) comply with the law.
Illegal tobacco
Illegal tobacco causes harm to our local communities. The availability and lower prices undermine public health efforts to reduce smoking and can also encourage children to try smoking.
Illegal tobacco has been seen for sale in many places such as:
- shops
- private houses
- pubs and clubs
- Facebook buy, sell and swap group pages
- car-boot sales
- on the street
Things to look for:
- packaging that is not plain olive green
- a lack of health warnings
- text on the packet that is not in English
- cheap prices
- unknown brands
If you think someone is selling illegal tobacco, you can help us tackle this problem by reporting it.
Vapes
Vapes (otherwise known as e-cigarettes) are an effective aid in helping to quit smoking. However, there are vapes being supplied that do not meet UK safety standards and may pose both a health and environmental risk.
There is growing concern about the use of vapes by children, particularly as the future health effects are not yet understood.
Cornwall Trading Standards are working to remove non-compliant vapes from the supply chain. If you know about a seller that is supplying non-compliant vapes or if someone you know is selling any form of vape to children, then please report it to us.
Enforcement Action
The table below summarises our enforcement action to date for both illegal tobacco and non-compliant vapes.
| Financial Year (April to March) | Cigarette sticks (including the equivalent seized in hand rolling tobacco) | Nicotine inhaling devices (vapes) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 103,077 | 0 |
| 2018/19 | 156,082 | 0 |
| 2019/20 | 78,818 | 0 |
| 2020/21 | 45,718 | 0 |
| 2021/22 | 178,290 | 0 |
| 2022/23 | 47,067 | 90 |
| 2023/24 | 69,563 | 312 |
Reporting illegal tobacco or vapes
If you think someone is selling:
- illegal tobacco
- non-compliant vapes or
- vapes to children
you can help tackle the problem by reporting it to us.
Your information can help keep Cornwall safe and healthy.
Please report to: tsintel@cornwall.gov.uk.