Cuts hinder crackdown on vape sales to children

A senior official has warned that years of budget cuts and austerity have left trading standards enforcement officers unable to effectively stop retailers selling vapes to children.

Almost a fifth of 11 to 17-year-olds say they have tried vaping, according to a national study by charity Action on Smoking and Health.

Chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, John Herriman, said the consequence is "quite significant", and "won't be seen immediately, it'll be seen over a period of time".

He said trading standards had been "hit hard" by local government cuts, with regulatory services reduced by 23% between 2010 and 2025 and trading standards funding cut by 39%.

According to Herriman, Enfield was left with a single trading standards officer at one stage, although staffing levels have since increased slightly.

He said: "You also get real variation in London between some boroughs that can have two to three, and Tower Hamlets where they had 11 or 12.

"It just depends on the strategic prioritisation with regard to trading standards."

Trading standards officers have the power to seize illicit products and issue closure notices to persistent offenders who sell to children.

In a one-off review of sales compliance by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, illegal sales were made in 33% of 422 test purchases of disposable vapes carried out by young people.

Herriman said: "We don't believe that serious and organised crime would have been able to get the foothold that it has on the high street had there been the boots on the ground of trading standards over that period because serious and organised crime wouldn't have had the opportunity to get a toehold, let alone a foothold."

The Tobacco and Vapes Act, passed in May 2026, aims to reduce vaping and prevent the next generation from ever being able to buy cigarettes.

One of the key changes in the legislation is the introduction of a mandatory licensing scheme for all retailers selling vapes.

However, the scheme will have to be monitored and enforced by trading standards teams that many say remain under-resourced.

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