By Jon Macpherson,Niamh Kirk
Copyright mirror
A man has been arrested on suspicion of peddling unauthorised Botox after a police swoop. The arrest occurred on Friday, September 19, when officers from the Hyndburn task Force carried out a search warrant at a property on Dill Hall Lane in the Church area of Accrington. This comes as part of a joint operation between local authorities and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Criminal Enforcement Unit. The action is part of a broader MHRA probe into the illegal distribution of unlicensed botulinum toxin products – more commonly known as Botox – following a significant increase in hospitalisations nationwide. In a statement, Hyndburn Police said: “We assisted Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Criminal Enforcement Unit with executing a search warrant [on Friday 19 September] at an address on Dill Hall Lane in Church. “A 38-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of selling / supplying of unauthorised drugs. MHRA has launched multiple investigations into the supply of unlicensed botulinum toxin products (Botox) following a spike in hospitalisations. “Between 4 June and 6 August 2025, 41 people across England were seriously ill after using illegal products. Anyone caught supplying unlicensed Botox faces up to 2 years in prison and unlimited fines. “Before any treatment, make sure your practitioner is qualified and the product is licensed in the UK. Report side effects after a cosmetic procedure via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://orlo.uk/GlCvl “. Between 4 June and 6 August this year, 41 people in England were reported to be ‘seriously ill’ after receiving treatments involving unlicensed or illegal products. The consequences of people administering or found with unregulated Botox is currently a two year prison sentence and unlimited fines. For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp , for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror’s Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. A world-leading specialist in aesthetics, Dr Rosh, medical director of Klinik, has warned that cowboy injectors have created a ‘wild west’ when it comes to non-surgical treatments. “I find myself defusing so many situations where people have been botched with unregulated filler and Botox.” He told The Mirror : “One patient told me she couldn’t leave the house because it had affected her confidence so badly from her botched work.This is where it’s going wrong.” A landmark survey by Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum of 919 adults across Britain found that nearly 1 in 10 patients never signed consent forms, 1 in 5 weren’t warned about complications and only 42% had a prescriber present at their consultation, while most got their injections in beauty clinics, not medical settings. It comes as ministers prepare new licensing schemes for cosmetic procedures, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s pledge to ban “bogus beauticians” and crack down on our largely unregulated beauty industry. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We’d love to hear from you!
