Smoking and vapes bill welcomed by Public Health Liverpool

Public Health chiefs in Liverpool have welcomed the introduction of a new bill in Parliament which is set to ban disposable vapes and the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2009.

Liverpool has an estimated 51,000 smokers, and smoking is the biggest cause of death in the city.

The City recently launched a tobacco reduction strategy aimed at reducing the proportion of smokers from just over 17 percent to 5 percent by 2030.

Illegal vapes and tobacco worth hundreds of thousands of pounds have been seized this year in joint operations with Merseyside Police, with more than a dozen shops closed down.

In a joint statement, Director of Public Health, Professor Matt Ashton, and Cabinet Member for Public Health, Cllr Harry Doyle, said: "Supporting people who smoke to quit for good also protects those who don't by creating a smoke-free environment, including children.

"The Tobacco and Vapes Bill builds on previous work which has reduced the damage caused by smoking, including the ban on smoking in public places which Liverpool helped pioneer, and restrictions on sales and advertising.

"Our groundbreaking State of Health in the City report identified the challenges that we need to tackle by 2040, including smoking and vaping.

"We are committed to working with the Government to make sure that this this legislation is as effective as possible, by cracking down on those who continue to sell vapes and tobacco in contravention of the new laws."