Scores of "dangerous" vapes and illegal tobacco have been seized in a £12,000 bust.

Two Romford businesses were raided this week by police and Havering Council's trading standards team to seize "dangerous" counterfeit vapes and cigarettes.

The raids, as part of Operation CeCe, took 535 vapes and more than 400 cigarette boxes, all uncompliant with UK regulations, at an estimated value of £12,000.

Ray Morgon, council leader, said: "We aim to keep our residents as safe as possible and that’s why we will always take the strongest possible action against those trying to sell these harmful products."

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Romford Recorder: £12,000-worth of illegal products were seized, Havering Council said£12,000-worth of illegal products were seized, Havering Council said (Image: Havering Council)

Police dogs trained to sniff tobacco were involved before officers found cigarettes and vapes hidden in a magnetically sealed box at one of the premises.

The business cannot be named at this time due to the ongoing investigations, the council added.

The trading standards team recovered more than £50,000 worth of goods in separate raids earlier this year.