Number of seized vapes doubles, says council

The number of vapes seized by City of Doncaster Council has more than doubled in the year since national legislation banned the sale of single-use devices, data shows.

Figures from a Freedom of Information (FoI) request showed the council seized 19,783 illegal devices in the year 2025-26. This was 103% more than in 2024-25 when 9,737 were seized.

Glyn Jones, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Safer Communities, said the council would act to remove all illicit devices.

He said: "We will not stand for businesses putting the safety of residents at risk and we will encourage our teams to take the necessary action needed to remove all illicit vapes from the city."

It became illegal for businesses to sell, supply or possess single-use vapes for sale after June.

The move was intended to help keep children and young people safe as part of the nationwide Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to prevent the sale of cigarettes to the next generation and stop youth vaping.

Jones said the council had been working with businesses to make sure they stick to the rules, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But he said: "Our teams are still coming across a small minority who are flouting the new regulations, leading to our officers having to act to protect residents."

The council said figures from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a charity highlighting the harms of smoking and vaping, showed about 10% of British adults currently use vapes.

There was also a sharp increase in young people vaping between 2021 and 2023, it said, with 7% of 11 to 17-year-olds currently vaping and 20% having tried it in the past.

ASH said the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill had been a "significant step toward a smoke-free generation".

Jones said as part of national campaign Operation Joseph - which was set up to crack down on illegal vapes - and with extra public health funding, the council had set up a tobacco and alcohol enforcement team in Doncaster.

"This will allow us to put a more dedicated focus into keeping residents safe from illicit products," he said.

Jones urged residents to continue reporting information about sales of single-use vapes to Trading Standards teams.

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