Key Highlights
- Intelligence-led test purchases uncovered seven retailers selling illegal tobacco; coordinated raids then targeted 16 premises across three locations.
- Seizures included 4,859 illegal vapes, 3,806 combustible cigarettes, 16kg shisha, 11kg chewing tobacco, with an estimated £33,000 value.
- Offending vape products breached tank size and nicotine strength limits or were unregistered for UK sale, contravening domestic standards.
- The single-use vape ban (from 1 June 2025) raises deterrence: £200 first-offence fixed penalty, escalating to unlimited fines and up to two years’ jail for repeat offenders.
- Hounslow Council said investigations continue; proportionate enforcement will follow to protect public health and ensure fair trading.
2Firsts, October 21, 2025 — According to Hounslow Council, Trading Standards officers, in partnership with Metropolitan Police teams, ran a series of test purchases that identified seven retailers selling illegal tobacco. Follow-up raids were executed at 16 premises in Chiswick, Feltham and Hounslow High Street, removing thousands of illegal products from the market.
In total, officers seized 4,859 illegal vapes valued at around £30,000, 3,806 combustible cigarettes worth roughly £3,000, plus 16kg of shisha and 11kg of chewing tobacco. The vapes were found to exceed legal tank capacity, breach nicotine strength limits, or were unregistered and therefore illegal to sell in the UK.
The crackdown comes after the UK’s ban on disposable (single-use) vapes began on 1 June 2025. Under the regime, retailers face a £200 fixed penalty for the first offence and, for repeated breaches, unlimited fines and imprisonment up to two years.
Councillor Pritam Grewal, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement, said the council will continue robust action against those profiting at the expense of public health and community safety, noting the risks to youth addiction and the presence of unregulated, unsafe ingredients in illicit products. The council confirmed that investigations are ongoing, and appropriate enforcement will be considered once enquiries conclude.
Image source: Hounslow Council
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