Hundreds of super-strength e-cigarette liquids were seized by Trading Standards during a blitz on retailers in Scotland.
The undercover operation saw officers swoop on stores to enforce new legislation regulating the sale of vaping products.
They found illicit liquids over the maximum legal nicotine strength level of two per cent and other products which were nine months out of date.
The Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force in April, regulating the sale of e-cigarettes for the first time.
Enforcement by local authorities began on October 1, after an initial “education phase” for retailers.
Trading Standards officers at North Ayrshire Council confiscated nearly 200 packs of illicit goods – some made in the UK, others China – worth £2800.
Scott McKenzie, a senior manager in the council’s protective services department, said: “Our Trading Standards team were disappointed to find that most retailers were still not following the legislation introduced earlier this year.
“The legislation exists for a reason – to make the sale of e-cigarettes as safe as possible. There was always going to be an initial phase where shop owners got used to the guidelines. But it is clear that more work needs to be done.”
