Vapes seized by Doncaster Council doubles in year after single-use ban
Almost 20,000 single use devices were seized in the year to April - a huge increase on the previous year
The number of vapes seized by City of Doncaster Council teams has more than doubled in the year after national legislation banned the sale of single-use devices.
According to figures obtained through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000, Doncaster Council seized 19,783 vaping devices – a huge 103 per cent increase on 2024/25 when 9,737 were seized.
Councillor Glyn Jones, deputy mayor of Doncaster and cabinet member for environment, housing and safer communities, said: “In June 2025, it became illegal for businesses to sell, supply or possess single-use vapes for sale, a move made to help keep children and young people safe.
“Our teams have been working with businesses to make sure they remain compliant with the new rules – however our teams are still coming across a small minority who are flouting the new regulations, leading to our officers having to act to protect residents.
“As a council, we will not stand for businesses putting the safety of residents at risk and we will encourage our teams to take the necessary action needed to remove all illicit vapes from the city.”
According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a registered charity highlighting the harms of smoking and vaping, around 10 per cent of adults in Great Britain currently use vapes.
However, there was a sharp increase in vaping amongst young people between 2021 and 2023.
ASH states seven per cent of 11-17 year olds currently vape, but 20 per cent have tried vaping in the past.
Coun Jones said: “As part of Operation Joseph – a national campaign aimed at cracking down on illegal vapes – and with extra Public Health funding, we have also been able to increase our resources by setting up a tobacco and alcohol enforcement team in Doncaster. This will allow us to put a more dedicated focus into keeping residents safe from illicit products.
“Our teams work incredibly hard to remove illicit vapes and keep children and young people safe, but we know there is always more to do.”
Jones urged residents to continue reporting information about sales of single-use vapes to trading standards teams.