U.K. Group: Harsh Fines for Selling Illegal Vapes

U.K. firms flouting the proposed ban on disposable vapes should face harsher fines to deter unscrupulous businesses, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).

Under the government’s plans, businesses caught selling disposable vapes once the ban is in place could be given a fixed-penalty notice of £100 by their local council.

The LGA has said the proposed fine is too low and might let businesses off the hook. However, a minority could see the fine as a price worth paying to continue selling the products, it said.

“We’re delighted that the government is taking decisive action to ban disposable vapes,” Kaya Comer-Schwartz, the leader of Islington Council and public health spokesperson for the LGA, said, according to media reports. “However, proposed penalties will be a drop in the ocean to a minority of unscrupulous businesses looking to make a quick buck after the ban comes into place.”

Firms flouting the proposed ban on disposable vapes should face harsher fines to deter unscrupulous businesses, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

Under the government’s plans, businesses caught selling disposable vapes once the ban is in place could be given a fixed-penalty notice of £100 by their local council.

The LGA has said the proposed fine is too low and might let businesses off the hook. A minority could see the fine as a price worth paying to continue to sell the products, it said.

Kaya Comer-Schwartz, the leader of Islington Council and public health spokesperson for the LGA, said: “We’re delighted that the government is taking decisive action to ban disposable vapes. However, proposed penalties will be a drop in the ocean to a minority of unscrupulous businesses looking to make a quick buck after the ban comes into place.”

According to LGA analysis, councils can impose larger penalties for other offenses, including up to £500 for littering, £500 for excessive noise from licensed premises, £200 for a business failing to put up “no smoking” signs, and up to £150 for unauthorized distribution of free leaflets on public land.

The LGA, representing councils in England and Wales, calls for the government to amend the tobacco and vaping bill to allow councils to impose more severe fines.