Thousands of illegal cigarettes and vapes seized in Solihull Trading Standards operation

Thousands of pounds worth of illegal vapes, cigarettes and tobacco have been seized from a shop in Castle Bromwich, in the biggest haul of its kind.

Officers from the Smith's Wood and Castle Bromwich neighbourhood team joined up with colleagues from Solihull Trading Standards for a visit to the shop on 7 March.

Inside, they found more than 25,000 illegal cigarettes and 1,200 vapes in addition to 80 bags of tobacco, making this the largest seizure of goods ever recovered in the borough.

The visit is part of our ongoing work against illegal and counterfeit vapes and tobacco, which can contain dangerous quantities of harmful substances.

The vapes have since been recovered for further examination while our enquiries continue.

Inspector Andy Bridgewater said: "We are delighted with these results; we know this is an ongoing matter of concern in the area, so we hope this reassures people in the north of the borough of how seriously we and our colleagues from the local authority take it.

"Operations like this require information from the public telling us of any suspicious activity they might have seen or heard about."

Cllr Wazma Qais, Cabinet Member for Communities at Solihull Council, said: "The visit to this shop in Castle Bromwich has resulted in the seizure of thousands of suspected illegal vapes, cigarettes and packs of hand rolling tobacco.

"This is the biggest single seizure of its type that Solihull Trading Standards has ever been involved in, and is a great example of what can be achieved when our officers and West Midlands Police work in partnership."

Anyone who has concerns about shops selling illegal or counterfeit items can report it via 101 or Live Chat.

Residents who are concerned about a business selling illegal and dangerous products can contact Solihull Council's Trading Standards team by calling Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 or visit Contact the consumer service - Citizens Advice