A CRACKDOWN on under-age vaping seems to be set to be adopted for East Lancashire after it emerged £100,000 price of rogue merchandise had been seized in simply three months.

County client watchdogs impounded greater than 20,000 non-compliant or illicit vaping units throughout Lancashire between April and June, councillors have been advised.

This could have resulted in suspected earnings of greater than £100,000 being generated, the county council’s well being board has heard.

An estimated 213 premises have been the topic of under-age gross sales complaints within the final 12 months countywide.

And in July it was reported that one in six 14 to 17-year-olds repeatedly vaped – regardless of gross sales to under-18s being unlawful.

Such findings have prompted the authority to attract up proposals for a wide-ranging buying and selling requirements and public well being enforcement marketing campaign.

In a joint well being board report, Paula Hawley Evans, public well being marketing consultant, and Angela Lomax, buying and selling requirements supervisor, mentioned: “Smoking tobacco is still the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death and the priority remains to achieve a Smoke Free Lancashire.

“Youth smoking is at its lowest charge, nonetheless, there was a regarding rise in younger individuals below 18 years of age vaping.

“The Trading Standards North West Youth Survey 2023 highlighted that young people are attracted by fruit flavours, attractive packaging, and cheap products with nearly half of 14–17-year-olds involved in the survey having tried e-cigarettes but not cigarettes.”

Authorities funding is being utilized by public well being employees to distribute the vaping data booklet ‘The place’s The Hurt’ to 30,000 12 months 8 and 9 pupils, in boroughs together with Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

The Workplace for Well being Enchancment and Disparities has additionally produced useful resource packs directed at 12 months 7 and eight college students linked to the nationwide curriculum, together with function movies across the results of vaping.

Shopkeepers caught conducting under-age gross sales are being supplied the possibility to undertake an e-cigarette consciousness course drawn up by county officers in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Council.

And the buying and selling requirements division is writing to not less than 1,700 companies which can promote vapes, reminding them of their authorized obligations.

A rise is check buying for vaping – to catch out rogue merchants is below manner. However councillors have been advised this can be on the expense of comparable workout routines for alcohol and tobacco gross sales.

County councillors might be requested subsequent Tuesday to think about funding for a ‘crackdown on unscrupulous vape gross sales venues’.