DISPOSABLE, SINGLE-USE VAPES ARE SET TO BE BANNED TOMORROW. BUT FOR WEEKS, SHOPS HAVE BEEN OFFERING ENTICING AND CHEAP DEALS ON THE COLOURFUL AND FLAVOURED PRODUCTS, WITH CUSTOMERS

'STOCKING UP' ON THE DEVICES. JAMES HOLT REPORTS. 05:00, 31 May 2025Updated 08:05, 31 May 2025 Disposable, single-use vapes have been flying off the shelves in recent weeks, with

customers 'stocking up' on the colourful devices ahead of the nationwide ban. It was a move aimed to cut youth vaping. Groups of school-aged children could easily get their hands

on the colourful and flavoured vapes that could be thrown away after a few hundred puffs. But despite the looming crackdown on the single use devices, from June 1, which have 'blighted

devices being shifted through cheap deals. Article continues below The likes of 600-puff Lost Mary and Crystal and Elf Bars, previously sold for two for £10, have been on offer for 10 for

£10 in recent weeks - marking them down at just a pound each. Huge yellow posters filled the windows. But, he questioned the success of the ban if not fully enforced and raised concerns

about shops still continuing to sell them under-counter to underage children. "There has been a massive uptake in sales, as you can imagine," he said. "People have been

stocking up. Across our 22 stores we had thousands and thousands, and there is basically nothing left. "They (the Government) need to really enforce it. But will it make a difference?

It's too early to say, but shops are selling to kids underage. "All they've done is ban the disposable single-use devices. So they are now being produced with a charging port

and a pod that can be changed. The people that were buying them have already started to drift and switch to using these. "It was the convenience of it that appealed to kids. We are all

for the ban, if it's properly enforced. But there needs to be a deterrent. It's not just the vape shops, and the petrol stations, they need to crack down on all shops. "It

will be interesting over the next few months to see how people are buying, but it's too early to say." Another shop, based in Whitefield, told of how the disposable vapes have

'still been popular' in the weeks leading up to the ban being enforced. "We had shelves and shelves full of them," a worker said. "Now there's only two left. So

we have been getting rid of them all. But it's not just kids, adults have been buying them too, especially with how cheap they have been." Leading researchers have warned that the

forthcoming disposable vapes ban may only have a 'limited impact' on the number of people using e-cigarettes, citing that one of the reasons is because more people are opting for

refillable and reusable devices since the government announcement. The ban on selling or supplying disposable vapes, first revealed by the government in January last year, applies both in

shops and online and is set to be enforced from June 1. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently working its way through Parliament, also includes powers to potentially restrict the

packaging, marketing and flavours of e-cigarettes. The sales in vapes soared in popularity in the last decade. The government said usage of the devices grew by more than 400 per cent between

2012 and 2023. In a bid to curb vaping, and also stop school-aged children getting their hands on the enticing and throwaway devices which often offer hundreds of puffs before dying, the

sale of the flavoured e-cigs that are not rechargeable is set to be banned. New data from charity Action on Smoking and Health shows the number of vapers in Great Britain who mainly use

single-use devices fell from 30 per cent in 2024 to 24 per cent in 2025, while the use of disposables by 18-24-year-old vapers fell from 52 per cent last year to 40 per cent. But ahead of

the new law, high-street stores and specialised vape shops in the likes of Manchester city centre and beyond began flogging the devices at massively cut prices to shift the stock. Browsing

round various venues in Manchester in the days before the ban, colourful boxes offering various flavourings of the disposable devices were positioned in front of discount labels and

stickers. One of the main concerns about the sale of disposable and flavoured vape devices was how they appealed to young people. They were often laid out in vibrant displays near sweets in

convenience stores. In one shop, a worker pointed out three ceiling-high cabinets holding hundreds of boxes of stock which would all be heading for landfill should the portable devices not

be sold. The likes of flavoured Elf bars, Lost Mary, NG, Hayati and IVG vapes were being sold for as little as £5 having previously been sold for £12. Beneath the counter, other boxes of Elf

bars, SKE and Lost Mary vapes offering 600 puffs a piece were being flogged at £3 each - or five for £10. In another store near Piccadilly Gardens, another cabinet stocked full with 600

puff vapes greeted customers. A wall of various colours and flavours was labelled with a sticker reading: "Any 600 puff vapes, £4.99 or 3 for £10." And just yards away, a third

store was offering a free disposable vape to any customer spending over £10. The shop, which also sold re-chargeable devices, pods and flavoured liquids of varying nicotine strength, had a

small cabinet placed on the counter offering any shopper a free single use electronic cigarette with their purchase. The plans to shift stock of the small devices have also stretched to

major stores, with the likes of the Spar also using bright yellow stickers to advertise deals on the likes of Lost Mary, Elf Bar and Blu disposables, priced at £5.99 each or two for £10. The

UK-wide disposable vape ban was designed to not only kerb the use of vapes, but also tackle waste and the impact of the devices on the environment. Research carried out by not-for-profit

Material Focus, released in December last year, revealed there was an estimated 8.2 million vapes being thrown away or littered every week across the UK. Unrefillable and unable to be

recharged, single-use vapes have been typically thrown away with general waste in black bins or littered rather than recycled, contributing to the flood of litter blighting the country. Even

when they are recycled, the process is slow and costly, with waste industry workers required to take them apart by hand. Their batteries also present a fire risk to recycling facilities and

can leak harmful chemicals into the environment. But there are also fears about an exploitative loophole - meaning 'big puff' vapes offering as many as 30,000 drags will still be

able to be sold in stores after the ban has been implemented. The law allows the sale of devices with greater liquid capacity than the legislated 2 ml. By utilising an external plug-in tank

of 10ml, the vaping units effectively become a 12ml product, which is 6 times more than the allowed vaping liquid in a disposable device. Despite being considered rechargeable, the

super-size vape products are made with a low-quality battery, and unchangeable coil which effectively makes them single use. Unregulated products are now flooding into the UK and threaten to

derail the objectives of the Bill in tackling youth vaping. As part of tough enforcement measures, any rogue traders breaking the rules will be hit with a fine of £200 in the first

instance, and all products will be seized. But those who repeatedly reoffend face being slapped with an unlimited fine or jail time. A government spokesperson said: “Single-use vapes are

extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities. That is why we are banning them as we end this nation’s throwaway culture. “The disposable ban will complement the landmark Tobacco and

Vapes Bill, which is introducing tough new action to clamp down on youth vaping by introducing powers to restrict their packaging, flavours and display. “The Bill also has the powers to

regulate tank sizes and the nicotine emitted by a vape. These powers will allow us to regulate any ‘big-puff’ vape devices if necessary.” Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “For too

long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine. That ends today. The Government calls time on these nasty devices.” As Caroline Cerny, Deputy

Chief Executive at Action on Smoking and Health added: “It’s promising to see that many people switched away from disposable vapes to re-usable products well ahead of the ban. "This is

particularly marked among young people, who were more likely to use disposable products due to their attractiveness, affordability, and heavy marketing. Article continues below “This new

law is a step towards reducing vaping among children, while ensuring products are available to support people to quit smoking. It will be up to manufacturers and retailers to ensure

customers are informed and able to reuse and recycle their products securing a real change in consumer behaviour and a reduction in environmental waste. "If behaviour does not change

then further regulations will be possible following the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.” The Government has worked with retailers to ensure they are ready for the ban coming into

force. This includes guidance on the devices they cannot sell or supply, as well as how to deplete their stock before June 1.