Fears children as young as nine are being sold vapes in Walsall

Members of the authority, who fear that young children in the borough are being sold vapes, are to lobby the Government to call for more licensing powers to ban shops near schools selling e-cigarettes as well as harsher punishments for companies flouting advertising rules.

During a debate on a cross-party motion, councillors raised concerns about shops selling vapes to youngsters aged under 18 and brightly coloured packaging designed to make them more attractive to children.

Palfrey councillor Sabina Ditta, who is also a teacher, said she had seen primary school-age children in Years 5 and 6 bringing vapes in.

Councillor Garry Perry, deputy leader for resilient communities, said a recent joint operation with Sandwell saw 782 illegal vapes seized which contained 9,000 puffs when the legal limit is 600.

Concerns are increasing as more and more vape shops pop up across the borough with the number of people using e-cigarettes soaring.

Councillor Perry said: “Whilst the same rules and regulations are there as they are to sell tobacco-based products, the shop itself isn’t licensable.

“Given the majority of what they are selling has the potential to cause harm, my belief is they should be licensable.

“They should have some control measures in place that prevent them from popping up at the rate they are currently in all our communities.

“They are becoming too fashionable but also too fashionable for organised criminal activity.

“This isn’t an attack on those who vape – it’s an attack on those shops who sell to young people.

“It’s also an attack on those who are supplying vapes that do not conform to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulations Authority in terms of content, illegal substances and impact."

Councillor Perry went on to say: “Vaping is a lot less harmful than smoking but it doesn’t mean it’s harmless. That’s the issue we are dealing with, the unknown facts surrounding the use of vapes.

“Illegal vapes are often mixed with drugs that do have the ability to capture and cause addiction in particularly in young people.

“This motion is about sending a message to Government again. You need to take a tougher stance and licence these premises but also support the work of our trading standards team at a regional level.

“Recently, at least six premises in the centre of Walsall were prosecuted and fined for the sale of illegal vapes and that’s probably endemic across the borough.

“It’s a cross party motion – we’re saying enough’s enough. Let’s stop this one before it becomes a bigger problem for us and adds to all the other things we are trying to deal with to keep our town safe.”

Councillor Ditta added: “It is something that impacts all our areas and especially our youngsters.

“This is impacting primary school children as well. In schools I’ve worked in, we’ve had cases in Year 5 and 6 bringing in vapes.

“It’s not because its coming from family but people outside handing them out to children. A family member of mine was on the bus going to school and was offered a vape from one of the sixth formers.

“If we have youngsters aged nine, 10 and 11 smoking vapes, it’s very bad for their health. Sometimes, parents are unaware of this because it is being passed on to them.”