Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Kent to launch two-year project to crackdown on underage vape sales

Kent to launch two-year project to crackdown on underage vape sales
Photo via LDRS

By Simon Finlay, Local Democracy Reporter

Retailers who illegally sell vaping products to Kent’s teenagers are to be targeted in a two year get-tough blitz.


This autumn, Kent County Council (KCC) will launch a trading standards project after figures show youngsters’ use of disposable e-cigarettes has rocketed.

The scheme will focus on business owners who sell to under-18 buyers or their friends while educating young vape users and their families.

Shopkeepers who persistently ignore the law will face legal action as part of the strategy.

While puffing on vapes is widely seen as less damaging than smoking tobacco, health officials are keen to limit availability.

Next week, KCC’s Health Reform and Public Health Cabinet Committee will meet to discuss the issue.

Last month, KCC voted to urge a complete ban on the sale of disposable e-cigs nationwide.

KCC documents note: “Although smoking rates have declined among young people (to 3% among 15 year olds in 2021), there are recent reports and public observations showing an increase in e-cigarette use among school-aged children which could potentially introduce a new gateway into smoking, particularly as nicotine is so addictive.”

The papers note two national surveys offering annual estimates on young peoples’ vaping habits and tobacco use.

The 2021 survey on vape use among 15-year-olds, NHS Smoking Drinking and Drugs Use showed an increase in current and regular use – 18 per cent reported using vapes, 10 per cent regularly.

A YouGov survey for pressure group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), revealed one in five 18-year-olds surveyed vaped regularly while 61 per cent of children aged 11-15 said they frequently obtained e-cigs from others, mostly from shops, 41 per cent of which were newsagents.

A National Library of Medicine study revealed the young people’s use of disposables soared 14-fold between 2021-22 compared to refillable products, which plummeted.

Kent Public Health and Trading Standards are working with other services to develop a local survey on vaping.

KCC papers add: “The Public Health team are taking a proactive and multi-pronged approach to understanding and tackling the issue of vaping amongst young people in our community.

“This includes efforts to curb illegal sales, advise and inform children and families about risks, work with young people to co-design interventions for behaviour change, and work with local and national partners to strengthen and align messaging about vaping for the public.”

The documents add: “We are funding a two-year…project to develop a systematic programme of educating vape suppliers and retailers on the age restrictions of vape sales, providing resources and materials to support compliance and to take legal action, where necessary against retailers that persistently offend.”

John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said: “Experience across the world shows that where blanket bans have been introduced on regulated single use vapes, there is a massive influx of illegal, untested and potentially deadly black-market products which take their place and this is in nobody’s interest.”

(Local Democracy Reporting Service)

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less