South Kirkby: Over 5,000 illegal vapes worth £75,000 seized from Wakefield shop by West Yorkshire Police

Officers seized the illegal vapes - as well as nitrous oxide and counterfeit cigarettes - from a shop in South Kirkby after acting on community concerns about the illegal sale of vapes to children. 

Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team worked with Wakefield Licensing Team in carrying out a test purchase operation at a number of retailers in South Elmsall and South Kirkby on Saturday (January 13).  

At one store in South Kirkby, 5,159 illegal vapes were seized, estimated to be worth around £75k, as well as nitrous oxide and counterfeit cigarettes. 

Two other shops, both in South Elmsall, failed the test purchase operation by selling alcohol to underage people and will be subject to license reviews.  

Inspector Glen Costello, of the Wakefield East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This activity demonstrates the commitment of our neighbourhood teams to work with local residents, acting on the information they provide to help make our communities safer. 

“If anyone has any information about crime or anti-social behaviour in their area then I would urge them to report it to us so that it can be actioned by ourselves and our partner agencies.” 

Information about how you can report online is available on the West Yorkshire Police website and LiveChat system. There is also information about what types of anti-social incidents should be reported to the police or the council online.