Almost £1 million of illegal goods have been seized from shops in the city
Non compliant goods seized in Leicester (file image)(Image: Leicester City Council)
The scale of illegal vapes and drugs sold in Leicester shops is “extremely worrying”, with officials fearing that the problem is “getting bigger”.
The concerns were raised as data obtained through a Freedom of Information request shows Leicester City Council’s Trading Standards team confiscated £976,359 worth of illegal products from retailers between 2023 and 2025.
The seizures include non-compliant vaping products, such as oversized disposable devices and those exceeding UK nicotine limits, as well as smaller amounts of other illegal products, including controlled drugs.
While enforcement activity has increased, the total value of goods seized has fallen over the same period. Investigations rose from six in 2023 to 32 in 2025.
However, the value of seized goods dropped from £523,695 in 2023 to £196,830 2025.
The 2025 figure does not include cases where Trading Standards officers assisted partner agencies, meaning the overall value of goods removed from sale could be higher.
Health campaigner and Liberal Democrat councillor Zuffar Haq has been raising concerns about the presence of illegal goods in Leicester’s vape shops.
Cllr Zuffar Haq, of Evington ward (Lib Dem). Image via Leicester City Council. (Image: Leicester City Council)
He said: “It’s extremely worrying. Leicester does have a problem and we need to try to deal with it effectively.
“It is good to see the numbers are coming down but we also need to be on guard. More people are being investigated but this tells us this problem is getting bigger.
“It still concerns me that so much has been seized already and so much must be out there. This is a problem of today that affects our future and we need to do something about it.”
Earlier this year, the issue was discussed at a meeting of the council’s Public Health Scrutiny Commission, where officials outlined plans to take a more robust approach.
Director of public health Rob Howard told councillors that the authority was exploring stronger measures, including a greater role for public health in licensing decisions.
City Hall, Leicester. (Image: Caitlin James)
He said: “I had a conversation with one of our lawyers about having a more robust public health input in licensing decisions, as I fear it’s something we haven’t done enough of in the past.
“We are also talking to Trading Standards colleagues about supporting them. Like many services, they have been really hit by government cuts to local authorities.
“In the past, they were able to have more teams on the streets doing spot checks.
“We are working with them to see if we can help with resources and get more people out there.”