Shop owners caught selling illegal vapes will be jailed and face a £10,000 in a fresh crackdown set to be unveiled in the Budget.
Rachel Reeves will hand border officers and tax officials greater powers to tackle the surge of prohibited e-cigarettes on high streets across the country.
The plans expected to be outlined in the Budget ill see all vapes sold in Britain to be equipped with a digital duty stamp with a QR code in a bid to help authorities spot fake devices more easily.
The powers will allow the police to remove illegal vapes on the spot and fine the owners of the shop selling them with up to £10,000.
Rachel Reeves will hand border officers and tax officials greater powers to tackle the surge of prohibited e-cigarettes
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PAJail sentences could be slapped on business owners who are repeatedly caught selling the banned devices under the new measures.
A Government source told The Sun: “Britain’s high streets are being flooded with illegal vapes by rogue traders.
“The Chancellor will crack down hard – giving Border Force and HMRC the power to seize dodgy vapes on the spot and hit offenders with £10,000 fines.
“We’re protecting shoppers and backing honest businesses.”
Jail sentences could be slapped on business owners who are repeatedly caught selling the banned devices
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Government officials say the tougher powers will help target organised crime groups profiting from the illicit vape trade.
They also believe the plans will protect the public from unregulated and potentially harmful products.
Vape liquid manufacturers will be able to register for the scheme from April 2026.
However, the measures are not expected to come into force nationwide until October 2026.
Businesses are expected to be given a six-month window to sell or dispose of any devices not marked with the digital duty stamp.
Action on Smoking and Health chief executive Hazel Cheeseman aid bringing penalties for illegal vape sales in line with those for traditional tobacco sends the right message.
She said: “Alongside the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to limit the promotion of vapes, the excise tax will further help to address youth vaping while keeping products available and affordable for adult smokers who want to use them to quit smoking.”
Independent British Vape Trade Association chief executive Gillian Golden said she welcomed the “concerted effort” to halt the sale of illegal vapes.
The Department of Health and Social Care allocated an extra £10million in funding for Trading Standards
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PAShe said: “Illegal products and illicit traders have been a scourge on our high streets in recent years.
“This unfair competition for the legitimate vape trade has also caused reputational damage to the UK’s most popular and effective aid to quitting smoking.”
In the last three years, more than six million prohibited vapes are estimated to have been seized by Trading Standards officers across England.
Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Social Care allocated an extra £10million in funding for Trading Standards to tackle the issue.