CHILDREN and young people in the Borders are in danger of becoming addicted to single use vape e-cigarettes, a councillor has warned.

The popularity of e-cigarettes has soared over the past year, with vaping in Great Britain reaching record levels.

Now Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has backed a motion expressing support for regulating and possibly introducing a ban on single vape e-cigarettes due to their potential damage to health.

The motion was brought by independent Tweeddale East councillor Robin Tatler.

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The council’s chief executive David Robertson is now to write to the Scottish and Westminster governments expressing SBC’s support for a proposed ban on single-use vapes, and to support measures to ban their sale.

Additionally, the motion recommended that schools include education materials on the impact of vaping and the issues around single-use vapes within the curriculum, stating that ensuring vaping is not happening “remains a high priority across all establishments”.

Mr Tatler said: “Vaping is recognised as something that assists people to stop smoking but the disposable ones could be seen as counter-productive.

“If you go for a walk anywhere in the Borders you will find these disposable vapes littering the ground and they are a real problem in terms of the environment.

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“Behind the cynical marketing, the lovely colours and the cherry flavours and goodness knows what other flavours appealing to young people, behind all that and something which is not particularly well-known, the level of nicotine in these is extraordinarily high, to the point that is is really easy to become addicted and addiction is not a choice, it is something that happens.

“You have no choice and unfortunately our young people are becoming addicted.”

Supermarket giant Waitrose recently stopped selling single-use vaping products because of their negative impact on the environment and the health of young people.

And Glasgow Council has backed calls for a ban on the sale of disposable vapes due to the same concerns.