Trading standards chief warn online sales of vapes have become ‘big problem’ in schools

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A trading standards chief has warned that online sales of vapes have become a “big problem” in schools.

Previously teenage volunteers with covert cameras have been used to catch out retailers selling vapes containing nicotine illegally to under 18-year-olds.

But youngsters have also been able to buy unregulated products, which can potentially contain harmful metals such as aluminium and lead, from each other at school.

Gareth Walters, Monmouthshire County Council’s trading standards manager, told councillors: “Online sales are a big problem. We’ve found in Monmouthshire within schools they are a big part of the problem, pupils have been able to obtain vapes, online or otherwise, and take them into schools and sell them.”

Parents

Mr Walters said sales by pupils had been more prevalent, at some schools, than from local shops. He also said, “as with alcohol”, trading standards have found parents will sometimes buy vapes for their children.

The trading standards chief, and officer Rachel Callman, briefed members of the council’s public services scrutiny committee on illegal vaping.

There is little regulation around vape products in the UK though those containing nicotine must be registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Regulation Agency and cannot legally be sold to anyone under 18.

However unlike highly regulated tobacco products that must be sold in plain packaging with health information and cannot be openly displayed there are presently no such controls on vapes.

“They are brightly coloured and look like highlighter pens and we’ve seen some illegal vapes that look like drink cartons and have cartoon graphics,” said Ms Callman.

Flavours

They are also sold in a multitude of flavours, which is also thought to make them attractive to children.

Pricing is also at odds with tobacco as vapes can be bought for as little as £6.99 while a pack of 20 cigarettes costs £13 and Ms Callman said the government has eliminated the sale of single cigarettes and packs of 10.

“Price increases have moved cigarettes out of the range of children but it’s not the same with vapes,” said Ms Callman.

Legislation is planned by the UK Government, which will cover Wales, to bring packaging more into line with tobacco while there is also Welsh legislation, to be introduced in April 2025, to ban single use vapes – which are a significant litter and environmental problem.

But Ms Callman said products which could be disposable, but comply with the new Welsh legislation, are now already available. She added price would depend on whether users had the “motivation” to treat them as refillable or disposable products.

Test purchases have also found up to 50 per cent of vapes sold as zero per cent nicotine have been found to contain the highly addictive substance while illicit products can also contain other harmful ingredients, such as metals, and some vapes containing synthetic cannabis THC are also being produced.