Children in the East Midlands 'threatening' shop owners for a vape
One shop told us children have threatened them with weapons
A shop manager in the East Midlands has told us more and more young people are trying to get their hands on vapes, and some are threatening staff.
Paul Jamie DePau told us weapons had been pulled out on workers in their vape store in Nottingham.
Paul works at NG Vape in Nottingham, he told us turning these children away is not working: "We see children between 12 and 16-years-old trying to get into the store and steal vapes. They run in and grab whatever they can and run straight back out.
"I have had personal devices stolen from me as well as boxes upon boxes of vapes stolen. We are sometimes losing double what we pay in the first place for the vapes.
"I have even had cases where I'm locking up the shop to go grab lunch for the day and someone has tried barging into the door whilst I'm outside trying to lock it up," he said.
'We have had to install panic buttons'
Paul said the violence was becoming a problem: "It has gotten to the point where I am having to warn new starters because I know that problems will arise. They see a new face and think they can push their luck.
"The new starter will say they can handle it and I can guarantee within three weeks they are out of the job because they cannot hack it anymore.
"We have had to install panic buttons and security cameras. Our security team is 24/7. They are looking out for people trying to jump the counter and steal stuff; they will instantly call the police," he said.
What are the Government doing?
It comes as peers in the House of Lords backed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on Monday (9th March). It would mean people currently aged 17 or younger would never be able to buy a cigarette.
The Bill must undergo a tidying up process in Parliament and both the Commons and Lords must agree on the final wording before it becomes law.
As part of the draft new law, adults who try to buy vaping or nicotine products on behalf of children will face a fine.
'Protecting future generations'
Ministers are also set to gain new powers to control the flavours and substances in smoking products, including vapes, along with the appearance, size, texture and shape of packaging.
“Smoking’s the number-one preventable cause of death, disability and ill health, and tobacco claims around 80,000 lives every year,” health minister Baroness Merron told the Lords.
She said: “And whilst tobacco remains the greatest threat, this legislation is about protecting future generations not only from the harms of tobacco but from nicotine addiction.”