Illegal Cigarettes Tobacco and Vapes Seized - Find a freedom of information request

Request

Q1) 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 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)



Q2) 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.

Decision

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you. 

 

 1a-d. Please see table below

Year

Number of premises seized from

Products Seized by Type

Shop Type

2022-2023

44

Cigarettes – 404,993 sticks (20,250 packs)

Tobacco – 54,350g (1,087 packs)

Vapes – 9,430

38 Mini Mart

3 Vape Shops

2 Mobile Phone Shops

1 Domestic Premise / House

2023-2024

42

Cigarettes – 130,680 sticks (6,534 packs)

Tobacco – 235,250g (4,705 packs)

Vapes – 11,959

35 Mini Mart

2 Vape Shops

2 Vehicles

1 Domestic Premise / House

1 Petrol Station

1 Barber

2024-2025

53

Cigarettes – 798,926 sticks (39,946 packs)

Tobacco – 189,510g (3,790 packs)

Vapes – 13,604

36 Mini Mart

8 Vape Shops

2 Vehicles

2 Self Storage Site

1 Takeaway

1 Car Boot

1 Domestic Premise / House

1 Mobile Phone Shops

1 Furniture Shop

 

2a-c. Please see table below

Year

Number

Perm/Temp*

Number of Times**

2022-2023

12 closure orders

All Temporary Closure Orders for 3 months

8 received their first closure order

4 received their second closure order

2023-2024

32 closure orders

All Temporary Closure Orders for 3 months

23 received their first closure order

5 received their second closure order

4 received their third closure order

2024-2025

74 closure orders

1 undertaking

All Temporary Closure Orders for 3 months – although 4 had their 3 month closure orders extended for a further 3 months

42 received their first closure order

20 received their second closure order

8 received their third closure order

4 received their fourth closure order

 

* We can only issue temporary closure orders

** Where premises are receiving their second or more closure order, the previous orders are not necessarily within the same financial year

Reference number
.12593101
Date request received
29 May 2025
Date of decision
25 June 2025