Senedd backs disposable vape ban for 2025

The Senedd has backed a ban on the sale of disposable vapes in Wales from next June.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said the move was a "major step forward in tackling throwaway culture and the environmental impacts of single-use vapes".

He said the Welsh government was working closely with ministers in all the UK nations to bring in the ban at the same time.

It will mean no single-use vapes can be sold or given away for free after 1 June 2025.

The Welsh government is urging businesses to speak to their suppliers about ordering alternatives and to start educating their staff and informing customers.

Businesses will also have to organise the eventual safe disposal of single-use vapes for their customers.

The Welsh government announced the ban in October after the UK government said it would stop the sale of disposable vapes in England from June 2025.

The Scottish government initially planned to introduce the ban in April, but delayed it by two months to fall in line with England and Wales.

There have been fears the appeal of vaping had spread to non-smokers in the UK.

Scientists estimated the number of adults in England to have started vaping despite never having been regular smokers had reached one million in October this year.

There were also concerns a ban could fuel an already growing black market of illegal vapes which can have higher nicotine content.

Earlier this year, Swansea council said it had seized more than 140,000 illegal vapes in the span of a few months.