More than £3.6 million worth of illegal goods were taken out of circulation in Barnet after a year of Trading Standards seizures, including tobacco, vapes, toys, cosmetics, jewellery and medication.
The figures, presented to Barnet Council’s Licensing & General Purposes Committee, cover the 2025-26 financial year. They show £504,109.03 in illegal goods removed through local enforcement work, alongside a separate council-led bust in which HMRC seized 3.6 tonnes of tobacco worth £3,121,200.
Barnet Trading Standards said the tobacco haul was equivalent to about 72,000 hand-rolling pouches. The wider enforcement picture also includes prosecutions, closure orders, landlord and letting agent fines, and investigations linked to knife sales.
More than 24,000 tobacco and vape items seized
The annual report lists 16,001 tobacco-related products and 7,802 vapes seized during the year. Those figures sit alongside items that can carry direct safety risks for families and shoppers, including dangerous toys, non-compliant cosmetics and electrical goods.
| Item seized | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Tobacco-related products | 16,001 |
| Vapes | 7,802 |
| Dangerous and potentially lethal toys | 1,145 |
| Non-compliant cosmetics | 850 |
| Jewellery | 453 |
| Electrical items | 56 |
| Medical products | 46 |
| Clothing | 29 |
The report does not show that every product came from the same type of premises, or that all businesses inspected were breaking the law. It does show the range of goods Barnet Trading Standards found during its enforcement work across the borough.
The pattern mirrors wider trading standards activity seen in other parts of England, including recent action over illicit vapes and tobacco seizures in Wigan.
Why the seizures matter for Barnet shoppers
Illegal tobacco and non-compliant vapes can avoid safety checks, tax controls and age restrictions. Unsafe toys and electrical items add another layer of risk because residents may not know they are buying goods that fail basic rules.
Barnet Council also highlighted compliance work with legitimate traders. The Trading Standards team helped 162 businesses understand their legal duties during the 2025-26 financial year.
Cllr Ross Houton, Deputy Leader of Barnet Council, said the council would not tolerate businesses selling unsafe or illegal products in the borough, while also offering support to firms trying to comply with the rules.
Prosecutions, closures and landlord fines followed
Barnet Council secured two criminal prosecutions during the year, resulting in fines of £12,398.27 and costs of £6,350.27. A further 12 cases are awaiting criminal prosecution.
The council also issued 18 fines to letting agents and landlords for breaches of legislation, totalling £123,800. Three closure orders were obtained against businesses involved in unlawful trading, while alcohol licence reviews began against four further premises.
Operation Dinar, carried out in December with Haringey Trading Standards and the Metropolitan Police, targeted two businesses and two residential addresses. Officers seized 1,621 packets of illicit cigarettes, 2,435 illegal vapes, 59 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco, counterfeit perfumes, shisha tobacco, prescription-only medication and more than £4,000 in cash.
A further £20,617.79 has been seized from bank accounts, £16,211 has been frozen, and £3,360 is subject to a detention order. Barnet Council said it is pursuing criminal prosecution.
Knife sale checks now under investigation
Barnet Trading Standards and the Metropolitan Police also visited businesses selling knives as part of Operation Sceptre. Officers gave advice on the rules, including the ban on selling knives to underage customers.
In later inspections, three businesses sold knives to underage volunteers. Files have been submitted for criminal prosecution and the businesses are under formal investigation.
In May 2025, officers seized 1,368 items worth about £12,500 from one Colindale shop, including non-compliant cosmetics, unsafe toys, trademark-infringing perfumes, illegal vapes and illicit tobacco-related products. The business owner received a caution and was ordered to pay the council’s costs after working with officers on future compliance.
Source: Barnet Council
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This article is based on Barnet Council’s published Trading Standards annual report details for the 2025-26 financial year.
- Matched the seizure quantities against the figures listed by Barnet Council.
- Separated the £504,109.03 local seizure total from the separate £3,121,200 HMRC tobacco ha...
- Checked that enforcement outcomes were attributed to the council’s reported prosecutions...
- Kept the geographic scope to Barnet rather than treating the source name as a place.
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- Barnet Council
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- Barnet
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- 2026-06-09 18:37
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