Eight Sleaford school pupils in hospital after vaping, says MP

Eight children from a Sleaford school were taken to hospital after vaping, according to the town's MP, who is calling for a ban on disposable vapes.

Dr Caroline Johnson said some pupils had collapsed and had been admitted to hospital over the last few months.

A head teacher from one school in Sleaford told a parliamentary committee that pupils were vaping in toilets and setting off fire alarms.

The head said about a quarter of her pupils were using e-cigarettes.

Dr Johnson, Tory MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, highlighted a growing concern about addiction to vaping among children after talking to a teacher in her constituency.

"[She] said she has pupils in her school who are struggling to get through a double maths lesson because they need to go out and vape.

"Some of them are struggling with a whole night's sleep because they're waking up desperate to have a vape."

The Tory MP will lead a Westminster debate later as part of her campaign for proper regulation and a ban on disposable vapes.

"The disposable vapes are the most attractive to children," she said.

"They are cheap, they are easily accessible. They are easy to dispose of if you are in danger of being caught using them by an adult.

"They are also in pretty colours and there's a whole range of child-friendly sort of flavours."

Meanwhile, Laranya Caslin, head teacher at St George's Academy in Sleaford, gave evidence earlier this week to the health and social care committee on youth vaping.

She described how vaping was affecting education as children were "making excuses" to leave lessons to go and vape in the toilet.

She said because the fire alarms were being triggered, the whole school was being disrupted and as a result she had been forced to change the alarms.

Ms Caslin added: "I had to change smoke sensors to heat sensors really quickly to prevent us being in and out while students were sitting GCSEs and A levels, and so the ramifications are quire broad in terms of an education setting."

John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, told the hearing the industry was not there to sell to children.

He said: "These products have been around well over 15 years, they are the most successful way that adults quit smoking here in the UK."

The government has previously pledged to close a loophole allowing retailers to give free samples of vapes to children in England.

It also said there would be a review into banning retailers selling nicotine-free vapes to under-18s, and one into fines for shops selling them illegally.

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