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New data from a first-of-its kind operation* tracking the sale of illicit vapes and underage sales shows:

  • 1.19 million illegal vapes seized by Trading Standards in 2023-24, a 59% increase.
  • 299,224 vapes confiscated in Q4 2023-24 alone.
  • 24% of test purchases in Q4 2023-24 resulted in illegal sales of vapes to children.
  • A second operation** seized 46 million illicit cigarettes and 12,600kg of hand-rolling tobacco in the last three years.

More than a million illegal vapes were seized by Trading Standards in 2023/2024, new data released today from National Trading Standards (NTS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) show.

A joint initiative named Operation Joseph has tracked over 1.19 million illegal vapes removed from sale across England, a 59% increase in the number seized compared to the previous year. The products seized failed to meet basic UK safety standards, with most containing excess nicotine levels.

New data also shines a spotlight on sales of vapes to children. In Q4 2023-24, almost a quarter (24%) of the 775 test purchases conducted in-person by Trading Standards resulted in illegal sales to under 18s.

Meanwhile, Operation CeCe — a joint initiative between NTS and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) running since 2021 — continues to disrupt the illicit tobacco trade. In 2023-24, over 19 million illicit cigarettes and more than 5,103 kg of hand-rolling tobacco worth £11.7 million were seized by Trading Standards. Since the operation started three years ago, 46 million illicit cigarettes and 12,600kg of hand-rolling tobacco have been seized, disrupting the illegal trade which undermines efforts to drive down smoking rates – including taxation policies.

“The protection of communities, public health and the safeguarding of honest businesses who are struggling to compete with the flood of illegal products lies at the heart of what Trading Standards does,” said Lord Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards.

“Trading Standards has seized nearly 1.2 million illegal vapes and more than £26 million worth of illicit tobacco so far. But the reality is further action is necessary to remove more illegal – and in many cases dangerous – products from sale.

Richard Las, Director, HMRC Fraud Investigation Service, said: 

“Illicit tobacco undermines legitimate retailers, funds wider crime, and harms public health while depriving our vital public services of around £2.2 billion a year. 

“We will continue to work with partners like trading standards to tackle this organised criminal trade that harms our communities. These criminals don’t care who they sell to including children.

“We urge anyone with information about the smuggling, distribution or sale of illicit tobacco to report it online.” 

Kate Pike, Lead Officer for Tobacco and Vaping for the Chartered Trading Standards Institute said:

“Trading Standards officers recognise that it is really important that adult smokers are able to switch to legal compliant vaping products which carry a fraction of the risk of their lethal tobacco habit. These figures show we are working incredibly hard to remove illegal vapes from our communities and to support businesses not to sell to children. We encourage anyone with information about businesses ignoring the law to report to us so we can continue to target our enforcement resources most effectively.”

Minister for Public Health and Prevention Andrew Gwynne said:

“This shows just how many illegal and harmful vapes are on our streets, putting consumers and children at risk. To further crack down on illicit trade of tobacco products and vapes, we are investing an extra £10 million to keep these harmful products out of the hands of kids.

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement activity, allowing Trading Standards to take swifter action to enforce the law, including on non-compliant products, and closing loopholes.”

We’re at the cusp of a whole bunch of awards celebrations and we have plenty to celebrate!  We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for multiple awards for our innovative communications solutions. Of course, the pride and glory of awards are always enjoyable, but more than anything, we’re pleased with what this recognition says about our work.

Having judged many awards ourselves, we know that creativity, innovation and impact are what’s needed to make an award entry stand out from the crowd. At Barley, we blend strategy, creativity, expertise and passion into social purpose communications that deliver real impact for our clients.

Here’s a snapshot of the work we’ve been shortlisted for:

Rebranding a charity for ETP

To mark a new era for ETP, we designed a bold visual identity that unifies perspectives, clarifies the organisation’s message and charts a course for the future. We developed a new website that’s been shortlisted for Best Website or App at the Memcom Excellence Awards and Best Marketing Initiative or Project at the Association Excellence Awards.

Membership organisation, EACTS

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) – a 4,000+ membership organisation for the cardiothoracic surgical community that aims to improve outcomes for heart and lung patients around the world – has been shortlisted for Best In-Person Event of the Year at the Memcom Excellence Awards.

The shortlist for EACTS is for the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting which took place in Vienna in 2023 – and we’re proud to support EACTS to deliver the flagship event. At Barley, our work includes managing organic and paid social media to drive over 5,000 participants to the event, publishing a daily newspaper over the four-day event and working with Go Forth Films to produce a daily highlights video. Barley is again supporting EACTS with this year’s Annual Meeting, which is being held in Lisbon from 9-12 October.

Environmental behaviour change campaign for Keep Britain Tidy

Based on eye-opening data about people’s buying habits, we created and delivered a topical campaign across digital and social platforms, setting our audience the task of buying nothing new for a month. This one is up for Behaviour Change Campaign of the Year at the Global Glood Awards and the Education, Training and Communication Award at the National Sustainability Awards.

Charity communications for Nordoff and Robbins

We’re shortlisted for PR Team of the Year at the Charity Times Awards for our strategic approach to media relations for the inaugural Northern Music Awards – helping Nordoff and Robbins raise their profile, raise funds and demonstrate the impact of their life-changing work as the UK largest provider of music therapy.

Local authority communications for Suffolk Waste Partnership

Our #ShakeItOut campaign to reduce recycling contamination has made a lasting impact, resonating with Suffolk households through eye-catching creative across multiple communications channels. This standout campaign of this year’s awards has so far been shortlisted a whopping eight times.

And there’s more! In addition to our client work, Barley has also been shortlisted for several agency awards, including the Women in Green Business Awards and the Association Excellence Awards.

This recognition is true testament to the dedication, imagination and enthusiasm our team brings to every project. And we’re ever appreciative of our marvellous clients for choosing Barley to deliver across a wide range of their communications needs.

Bring on the celebrations!

The brief

Counterfeit beauty and hygiene products can cause serious harm, yet many young women in the UK are unaware of the risks.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) asked Barley Communications to design and deliver a behaviour change communications campaign targeting women aged 18–30. The goal was to expose the hidden dangers of fake perfumes, lipsticks and concealers, and to encourage safer, better-informed purchasing choices.

Insights and approach

Grounded in research and consumer insight, we developed Choose Safe, Not Fake — a behaviour change consultancy programme and campaign designed to shift attitudes and influence real-world decisions.

Understanding where our audience spends time online, we built a strategy centred on targeted social media activity, influencer partnerships and collaboration with trusted consumer protection organisations, including Citizens Advice.

Instagram proved critical given its reach among our target audience. We delivered a mix of high-impact multimedia content, ensuring key messages were seen repeatedly across the campaign period. Influencer selection focused on credibility and audience alignment, enabling authentic storytelling and amplifying engagement far beyond paid activity.

We backed this with powerful real-world case studies and striking visual assets that exposed the realities of fake beauty products. Combined, these elements created a multi-channel approach that exceeded every KPI and generated widespread coverage across TV, print and online platforms.

Results

The campaign successfully raised awareness of the risks posed by counterfeit beauty and hygiene products, directly addressing the objectives set by the IPO.

Choose Safe, Not Fake exceeded all reach and engagement KPIs. One in five consumers recalled the campaign — a clear sign that the messaging resonated — while content engagement grew more than threefold compared with the previous year’s behaviour change campaign. Influencer activity further accelerated conversations about the harms associated with fake products.

Coverage across flagship programmes including ITV’s This Morning and the BBC’s Morning Live reached millions, and partnerships with consumer protection bodies strengthened credibility. As a result, one in four consumers were able to recognise the dangers of counterfeit beauty products, helping empower young women to make safer choices and cementing the IPO’s position as a trusted voice in consumer protection.

  • 5.8m

    radio listeners

  • 900k

    TV viewers

  • 1.6m

    print/online readership

  • 1 in 5

    consumers recalled the campaign

  • 1 in 4

    consumers recognised the dangers of counterfeit beauty products

  • 328%

    increase in engagement vs previous year’s campaign

“

This is the most successful consumer campaign we have ever delivered.

Miles Rees

Deputy Director of IP Enforcement, IPO

The brief

Scams remain significantly underreported, creating major challenges for those working to protect consumers. Working with the National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team, we identified that shame and victim-blaming prevent people from speaking up – limiting both reporting and access to support. This fuels a cycle where services remain under-resourced and inconsistent across the country.

In response, Barley was asked to deliver a consumer protection campaign that would reduce stigma, encourage victims to come forward and drive people towards trusted scam prevention communications and support services.

Insights and approach

To help NTS shift public attitudes, we developed a media-first strategy to amplify its No Blame No Shame campaign. Our aim was simple: spark a national conversation about why people do not report scams, and show how better reporting can help shape policy, improve services and protect others.
New research revealed the scale of the problem – with most adults targeted and many losing money but choosing not to report due to feelings of embarrassment or self-blame. This insight formed the backbone of our story. It gave us a powerful platform to challenge public misconceptions, offer clear advice and call for stronger victim support.
To deepen impact, we worked closely with a criminologist exploring parallels between scammer behaviour and domestic abuse, adding robust expert commentary. We also prepared a sensitive, high-impact case study of a woman groomed over several months by cryptocurrency scammers, ensuring she felt fully supported and confident sharing her experience.
Through careful embargoed pitching, we aligned launch coverage with NTS Scams Team activity and secured strong interest from the BBC and wider consumer media, supported by a detailed briefing for the NTS spokesperson.

Results

The campaign generated widespread national and regional coverage. BBC Breakfast, ITV Good Morning Britain, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC local radio, LBC, Times Radio, Channel 5 and the Daily Express all carried the story, driving sustained conversation about the need to remove shame from scam reporting.

BBC Radio 5 Live highlighted the Friends Against Scams resource twice in 24 hours – first directing listeners to the site on launch day, then hosting a follow-up discussion on AI-enabled fraud. Channel 5’s Alexis Conran show facilitated a dedicated panel and phone-in, with strong signposting to Action Fraud, Citizens Advice and Friends Against Scams.The campaign helped shift the narrative: from victim-blaming towards recognition that anyone can be targeted. Following the launch, the NTS Scams Team was invited to give evidence to the Home Affairs Committee inquiry into fraud and to attend several senior government meetings.

“

“We appointed Barley Communications to run the media operation for National Trading Standards in 2019. We outsource the entire press function to Barley and entrust them to manage and enhance our reputation on a range of sensitive enforcement issues – both proactively and reactively.

At NTS we’re tasked by the Department of Business and Trade to run enforcement investigations and Barley are a vital part of our team handling communications for complex court cases with sensitivity and professionalism. We’ve been very pleased with the quality of media coverage on issues such as illegal tobacco, underage vape sales, the sale of knives to under 18s, doorstep crime, scams and other areas of consumer harm.

Barley are strategic operators working at a senior level and demonstrate an excellent understanding of our complex partner landscape. Barley can be relied upon to use their experience to work effectively with partners including police forces, local authorities, retailers and others. Their knowledge of the consumer protection environment, the partnerships they have developed and their links with relevant media are impressive. I am very happy to recommend Barley.

Wendy Martin

Director, National Trading Standards

The brief

Counterfeit electrical goods continue to put people at risk — especially 18–35-year-olds who are more likely to buy them. These products often bypass essential safety checks, leading to fire hazards, electric shocks and wasted money.In the run-up to Christmas, when pressure to buy discounted tech is at its peak, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) asked Barley to deliver a public awareness campaign that would protect younger shoppers from unknowingly purchasing counterfeit electricals, using our strengths as a behaviour change agency and communications agency to drive safer choices.

Insights and approach

Reaching 18–35-year-olds meant engaging a diverse audience with different motivations, platforms and buying habits. Some knowingly take risks; others fall for convincing imitations. Our strategy needed to speak to both.

We created a fully integrated campaign spanning social media, traditional media, influencers and enforcement partners. By focusing on everyday items such as phone chargers and headphones, we grounded the message in familiar products that younger people buy most often — making the risks clearer and more relevant.

The campaign launched around Black Friday to capture early seasonal shopping behaviour and built momentum through December. We conducted new research into young adults’ attitudes towards counterfeit goods to generate compelling news angles, working with enforcement partners so our advice aligned with real-world activity.Influencer content, tailored to distinct audience segments, helped widen reach and deliver trusted, peer-to-peer messaging — a crucial element for behaviour change.

Results

The campaign delivered strong visibility at a critical moment in the retail calendar and helped warn young shoppers about the safety risks of counterfeit electricals. Coverage included a 10-minute feature on BBC Morning Live, demonstrating the dangers in real time and offering practical advice for staying safe.

Across social, influencer and media channels, our integrated approach ensured the IPO’s message cut through — empowering young people to make safer, more informed buying decisions in the run-up to Christmas.

  • 4m

    video views via paid social

  • 6m

    paid social impressions

  • 700k+

    influencer impressions

  • 33

    pieces of national news coverage

  • 8k

    likes of influencer content

  • 4.5k

    click-throughs from influencer content

The brief

As a public sector communications agency, Barley was asked by National Trading Standards (NTS) to help raise awareness of a growing wave of ‘friend in need’ scams on WhatsApp — messages that appear to come from friends or family members requesting money or personal information. The objective was clear: equip consumers with simple, actionable steps to protect themselves and reduce the impact of these fast-increasing message-based scams.

Insights and approach

Working closely with NTS and WhatsApp, Barley helped frame the challenge and shape the campaign’s core advice: STOP. THINK. CALL. We provided context and insight into how ‘friend in need’ scams operate, ensuring the public messages were rooted in real behaviours and the evolving consumer protection landscape.

Our team:

  • Developed a bespoke landing page for the Friends Against Scams website to give consumers a trusted place to learn more and take action.
  • Ran a targeted media relations programme, complementing WhatsApp’s outreach and securing major national coverage including BBC News.
  • Provided strategic counsel throughout, reviewing content for TikTok and Instagram to strengthen the consistency, authority and clarity of campaign messaging.

By combining behavioural insight with trusted partners and clear public advice, the campaign delivered a unified and authoritative warning to millions of potential victims.

Results

The integrated campaign achieved significant national traction, helping consumers understand and spot this increasingly common scam. It generated 86 pieces of media coverage across outlets such as BBC News, ITV News, Sky News, Daily Mail, The Sun and Daily Mirror, with NTS’ Head of the Scams Team completing 11 broadcast interviews in one radio day alone.The campaign’s impact extended beyond media. Action Fraud adopted and amplified the messaging, launching their own guidance inspired by the campaign — strengthening consumer protection and extending the reach of the STOP. THINK. CALL. message. In total, a further 130 articles were published across national and regional press.

“

I was deeply impressed with the approach of NTS and their communications team to our recent collaboration, as well as their evident sector expertise and the strategic insights they shared.

From the outset, their detailed knowledge of the consumer protection landscape and their understanding of what makes a strong story in this space – as well as a clear commitment to a productive partnership – helped shape the campaign and secure more than 80 pieces of media coverage to warn consumers about scams.

They have since introduced us to Action Fraud to help extend and amplify the campaign. I would certainly recommend considering a partnership with NTS to help bolster scam prevention initiatives, which are increasingly important across our industry.

Alison Bonny

Head of Communications EMEA, WhatsApp Inc

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