Illegal goods seized from shops in financial years 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025
Case reference FOI2025/01042
Received 29 May 2025
Published 2 July 2025
Request
I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
1. How many shops has your council’s Trading Standards team seized illegal cigarettes, tobacco or vaping products from in the individual financial years 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025?
If possible please break this down by:
a. Estimated value in Pound Sterling of items seized
CLARIFICATION: Retail value please.
b. Total number of items seized
c. Product type seized (cigarettes, vapes, other vaping products such as e-liquids, rolling tobacco or other)
d. Type of shop (e.g. mini mart, vape shop, barber, car wash)
2. How many shops have been shut in your local authority due to seizures of illegal cigarettes, tobacco or vapes in the individual financial years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25?
Within each financial year, please break this down by:
a. Temporary closures
b. Permanent closures (Please indicate whether your Trading Standards body has the power to permanently close shops. If not, please indicate who does have this power and if you hold information on these figures.)
c. Number of times the same shop has been closed due to the above. Please indicate whether the most recent closure was permanent or temporary.
Response
I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
1. How many shops has your council’s Trading Standards team seized illegal cigarettes, tobacco or vaping products from in the individual financial years 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025?
Answer:
22/23 = 7
23/24 = 12
24/25 = 14
If possible please break this down by:
a. Estimated value in Pound Sterling of items seized
CLARIFICATION: Retail value please.
Answer:
22/23 = £ 114,012
23/24 = £ 22,207
24/25 = £ 215,735
b. Total number of items seized
Answer:
22/23 – Please see response below for 1c.
23/24 – Please see response below for 1c.
24/25 – Please see response below for 1c.
c. Product type seized (cigarettes, vapes, other vaping products such as e-liquids, rolling tobacco or other)
Answer:
|
Year |
Product Type |
No. of Items Seized |
|
22/23 |
Cigarettes |
80,340 |
|
|
Vapes |
1,257 |
|
|
E Liquids |
2,644 |
|
|
Rolling Tobacco |
16.5 kg |
|
23/24 |
Cigarettes |
9,980 |
|
|
Vapes |
1,193 |
|
|
E Liquids |
1,092 |
|
|
Rolling Tobacco |
8.65 kg |
|
24/25 |
Cigarettes |
216,120 |
|
|
Vapes |
679 |
|
|
E Liquids |
0 |
|
|
Rolling Tobacco |
50.8 kg |
d. Type of shop (e.g. mini mart, vape shop, barber, car wash)
Answer: The Service Area have advised all seizures have been made from Mini Markets or vape shops.
2. How many shops have been shut in your local authority due to seizures of illegal cigarettes, tobacco or vapes in the individual financial years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25?
Within each financial year, please break this down by:
a. Temporary closures
Answer:
22/23 = 0
23/24 = 0
24/25 = 1
b. Permanent closures (Please indicate whether your Trading Standards body has the power to permanently close shops. If not, please indicate who does have this power and if you hold information on these figures.)
Answer: None – Trading Standards does not have the power to permanently close shops.
c. Number of times the same shop has been closed due to the above. Please indicate whether the most recent closure was permanent or temporary.
Answer: 0
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.