MINISTERS will this week launch a vaping crackdown to stop kids getting hooked on nicotine.
A new “enforcement squad” will go after shops caught selling e-cigarettes to under-18s and pull illegal products off the shelves.
There are also plans to tighten rules on disposable vapes, jazzy colours and flavours that appeal to kids, and advertising, as The Sun revealed last month.
Health minister Neil O’Brien will lay out the Department of Health plans in a speech on Tuesday.
It comes after the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty, told MPs he had “no doubt” that firms were targeting children and said it was “utterly unacceptable”.
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Mr O’Brien said: “Smoking kills, so our priority is to prevent people smoking and support them to quit.
“However, we are concerned about the rise in youth vaping, particularly the increasing use of disposable vaping products.
“The new illicit vapes enforcement squad will work across the country and clamp down on those businesses who sell vapes to children – which is illegal – and get them hooked on nicotine.”
Ministers will also open a review for experts to tell them how to tackle the problem.
Mr O’Brien added this will “allow us to get a firm understanding of the steps we can take”.
Research suggests seven per cent of Brits aged 15 to 24 vape regularly – the highest of comparable countries.
Worryingly, the proportion is around the same for 11 to 17 year-olds.
An extra tax could also be slapped on e-cigarettes to drive the price up and put youngsters off, according to reports.
Disposable single-use vapes like Elf Bars will face the brunt of enforcement action because they are so widespread and easy to buy.
Ministers in Scotland are already considering a total ban.
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