Hundreds of illegal vapes removed from shops across West Lothian

Following information from members of the public, the council’s Trading Standards team have confiscated a number of vaping and tobacco products.

These products are not registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), so have not passed through their quality control processes. This means they could contain harmful chemicals or high levels of nicotine.

Anyone with information on illegal vapes being sold can report it anonymously at www.westlothian.gov.uk/article/49071/Report-a-Trading-Standards-Issue-Anonymously or by emailing [email protected].

Craig Meek, executive councillor for public and community safety, said: “Illegal vapes are a genuine danger to health, as there are no controls in place to make sure they do not contain harmful chemicals.

“Our Trading Standards team make every effort to protect West Lothian residents by making sure potentially dangerous items like this are not available for sale.

“It also prevents consumers buying potentially substandard products and stops money being diverted from legitimate local businesses selling genuine MHRA products.

“We would encourage all West Lothian residents not to buy illegal vapes or tobacco and let our Trading Standards team know if they spot them for sale or have any further information on those involved.”