Freedom of information requests have revealed that since 2023, more than 13,000 complaints have been filed with British local authorities regarding the sale of tobacco and vapes to minors, though the number of reports has decreased by 14 percent nationally.
According to an investigation based on freedom of information requests, more than 13,000 public complaints have been received by UK local authorities since 2023 regarding the sale of nicotine products to minors. The vast majority of these reports, 10,818 cases, involved e-cigarettes, which accounts for 90 percent of all complaints. Traditional cigarettes were mentioned in 704 reports, while separate e-liquids were involved in 349.
Nationally, the number of complaints has declined by 14 percent over the past two years, though the regional distribution shows a mixed picture. The most complaints were received by Lancashire County (a total of 696, although there was a 36 percent decrease there), while in Birmingham, such cases rose by 28 percent, reaching 607. At the same time, in several areas, such as the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the Shetland Islands, and East Dunbartonshire, the number of complaints dropped to zero.
According to data from official test purchases in 2024/25, six local councils (including Bolton and Milton Keynes) reported that they observed violations in 100 percent of their checks. Industry stakeholders emphasize that while reports alone do not prove a violation, they do highlight the importance of stricter age verification and targeted official enforcement.
In brief
- Since 2023, more than 13,000 complaints have been filed with British local authorities regarding the service of minors, 90% of which related to e-cigarettes.
- The number of reports has decreased by 14% nationally over the last two financial years.
- The highest number of complaints were registered by the local authorities of Lancashire 696 and Birmingham 607.
- At six local authorities, 100% of the 2024/25 test purchase operations resulted in violations.
Source: Planet of The Vapes (planetofthevapes.co.uk)
This summary was created by artificial intelligence based on the original article.