Covert eyes on Vic's illegal solariums

Victoria is going after rogue solarium operators in an undercover surveillance operation that has already landed several people before the courts.

A year and a half after solarium businesses were banned in the state, people who still own tanning beds continue to lure customers, Health Minister Jill Hennessy says.

It is not illegal to have a tanning bed but it is to solicit customers.

To soften the blow to solarium businesses and remove beds from the market, the state government offered a buy-back scheme.

Now surveillance is being conducted as some bed owners continue to lure customers through social media, websites like Gumtree and word of mouth, sometimes in exchange for goods like wine, the minister says.

"Several people" face multiple charges because of the operation and the surveillance would continue, Ms Hennessy said on Monday.