More than 1100 illegal vapes have been seized from two buisnesses in Holyhead.

Anglesey Council said around £6,500 of vapes were seized in a joint operation with North Wales Police, following the ban on single use vapes which came into force on June 1st.

Most of the vapes were destroyed while 42 vapes were later returned as they complied with current regulations. Around 400 vapes were surrendered voluntarily by the two retail businesses.

Under the new laws introduced by the Welsh Government, all vaping devices must now be both rechargeable and refillable to be legally sold or distributed.

Sgt Chris Burrow, a district support officer on Anglesey, said: "We will continue to work closely with Trading Standards and other partners to protect the health and wellbeing of the community, and especially young people."

"Multi-agency operations such as this show the value of partnership working and sharing resources to investigate and combat serious and organised crime."

"The supply of illegal tobacco products through organised criminal networks is often linked to other criminal activity, which is why it’s important we continue to disrupt against the illegal tobacco product business."

"I would encourage community members who have concerns about suspected illegal activity in their local town centres to contact police or trading standards, or report anonymously via Crimestoppers."

Beyond environmental harm, single-use vapes also pose significant health risks, particularly to children and young people. Such devices often contain high levels of nicotine and appealing flavours, making them attractive to underage users.

Cllr Nicola Roberts, who holds the public protection portfolio on Anglesey Council, added: “Our Trading Standards Team continue to work tirelessly with North Wales Police, and other partner agencies, to help take illegal and harmful products off our streets.”

“Protecting people from potentially harmful products is of utmost importance as we seek to safeguard the well-being of the public.”