Dozens of potentially harmful e-liquids, which look like children’s sweets and other food, have been taken off the shelves by North Tyneside Council’s trading standards team.
Based on intelligence received, officers visited a shop in the Benton area on Friday, October 21, and seized 84 refill liquids used in e-cigarettes.
The particular products could appeal to children due to factors such as their names, appearance and odour. Some of the items even contained badges and actual sweets.
The names of the products seized include Wonder Yoghurt, Ice Cream, Sugar Rush, Screw Ballz, Tuck Shop and Bazooka.
The Food Imitations (Safety) Regulations prohibit the sale of products that look like foodstuffs but are not in fact edible and could cause a risk of injury to children. The maximum penalty is six months imprisonment and/or a £5,000 fine.
The trading standards service is delivered for the local authority by its partner Capita.
Cllr John Harrison, cabinet member with responsibility for Public Protection, said: "The safety of residents is a top priority for the council.
“These products look extremely appealing to children because of their appearance, however they pose a serious risk of harm. I am pleased that such potentially dangerous products have been removed from sale by our team.”
Recent statistics from the Public Health England National Poisons Information Service indicate there has been a large increase in the number of children accidentally swallowing refill liquids.
E-liquids contain nicotine and other chemicals which can be “extremely dangerous” if swallowed by mistake. Even small doses can cause serious harm.
Wendy Burke, Director of Public Health at North Tyneside Council said: “As the council, we want to support all our residents to stop smoking, not only for their own health and wellbeing but also for their children and the people around them.
“The liquid found in e-cigarettes does contain nicotine and can be lethal if swallowed by children, so it’s good to see our Trading Standards team doing fantastic work to protect young people from these products.
“We have a great range of free support in North Tyneside that anyone can take advantage of, so if you do feel like you need support to stop smoking, help is always available.”
North Tyneside trading standard officers are currently investigating the supply chain for the e-liquids. Other retailers are advised to remove such products from sale and parents should keep children away from these type of products.
Notes to editors:
Capita Local Government, part of Capita plc, is dedicated to delivering outsourcing and professional services to the local government market and responsible for operating all of Capita's major local government and education partnerships. Employing over 8,000 people, Capita Local Government delivers a wide range of specialist services, including customer management, property development and regulatory services, educational transformation and support services and back office processing. Capita Local Government can also draw on specialist capabilities, such as ICT, HR and payroll from across the wider Capita group, to ensure the very best market knowledge and outcomes are achieved for customers.
In November 2012 the company entered into a partnership with North Tyneside Council to deliver a range of technical services: engineering; property; planning; building control and public protection.
ENDS