Calls to ban the sale and manufacture of single use vapes by 2024 have been backed by the county council.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, called on the government on Friday (July 14) to ban the sale and manufacture of single use vapes by next year.

The LGA has said it is crucial that the ban comes into effect rapidly as the EU has proposed a ban in 2016 and France is rolling out a ban in December this year, leaving the UK at risk of being flooded with disposable vapes.

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The county council’s director of public health, Ansaf Azhar, said the council supported the association’s call for the government to introduce a ban.

He said: “Single use vapes cause litter, are difficult to recycle and are often marketed at children and young people.”

It is estimated that 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away each week.

This leaves the taxpayer having to pick up the bill, as the lithium batteries in the vapes require specialist treatment due to their flammability.

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Councillor David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board said: “Councils are not anti-vapes, which are shown to be less harmful than smoking and have a place as a tool to use in smoking cessation.

“However, disposable vapes are fundamentally flawed in their design and inherently unsustainable products, meaning an outright ban will prove more effective than attempts to recycle more vapes."

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