The ban on disposable vapes may have been in place for over two months, but indications are that many retailers are continuing to sell disposable devices, which customers are in turn continuing to demand.
Officers from Derbyshire Trading Standards say they have seized almost 2,500 disposable devices from retailers since the law requiring all vapes to be refillable and rechargeable came into effect at the start of June.
The organisation told the BBC: “”Over the last four to five years, vapes have become an issue and with the ban we’ve had to divert resources.” It also said that previous mystery shopping initiatives had revealed vapes were being sold with larger e-liquid tanks and higher nicotine levels than permitted.
One shop owner told the broadcaster that prior to the ban disposable devices were a “money maker”, adding that his profits had dropped by 25% since the new regulations were introduced, which was leading some some retailers to flout the law.
Separately, the Scottish Grocers Federation reports that 18% of convenience stores report being asked for disposable devices by customers at least once a week.
