Council bosses welcome plans to ban sales of disposable vapes

The proposals are part of ambitious plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping and protect children’s health.

Welcoming the ban, Victoria Wilson, cabinet member responsible for trading standards at Staffordshire County Council said: “There is no doubt that disposable vapes have been a key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping so a ban on them is very welcome.”

The new powers being introduced will restrict flavours which are specifically marketed at children and ensure that manufacturers produce plainer, less visually appealing packaging.

The powers will also allow government to change how vapes are displayed in shops, moving them out of sight of children and away from products that appeal to them like sweets.

Under the new controls, there will be new fines for shops in England and Wales which sell vapes illegally to children and Trading standards officers will be empowered to act ‘on the spot’ to tackle underage tobacco and vape sales.

The plans link to the government’s commitment to bring about the first smokefree generation and introduce legislation so children turning fifteen this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco.

Councillor Wilson said: “Vaping is acknowledged as an important tool for quitting smoking; however, we remain concerned about the growing number of young people vaping.

“Our officers have seen a huge rise in the number of illegal vapes being offered for sale, particularly illegal vapes which appear to be marketed towards children.

“Growing evidence also suggests that vapes and e-cigarettes are an environmental concern and a potential fire hazard.

"A ban on disposable vapes would benefit Staffordshire by not only safeguarding children’s health but also safeguarding the environment.”

Recent figures show the number of children using vapes in the past three years has tripled, while use among younger children is also rising, with 9 per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds now using vapes.

The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine contained within them can be highly addictive, with withdrawal sometimes causing anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches.

Trading Standards officers in Staffordshire also remain concerned about the alarming increase in harmful non-compliant products on sale in shops.

In Staffordshire, since April 2023, the service removed more than 13,171 illegal or oversized products with a street value of more than £170,000.

People with information about the sale of illegal vapes or counterfeit tobacco in Staffordshire should call the Fight the Fakes hotline on 01785 330356.