ONE in seven young people in St Helens now claim to vape regularly, new figures show.

The data was revealed in a week that showed there has been a 50 per cent rise in children trying vaping, according to national statistics.

St Helens trading standards revealed that a recent survey looking at attitudes and behaviours towards drinking, smoking, vaping and knives among 14–17-year-olds found that in the town one in seven young people now claim to vape regularly, while 52 per cent say they have tried vaping, but not a cigarette.

The survey indicates that 71 per cent of the young people who vape use disposable e-cigarettes and 40 per cent purchase from a shop. The survey concludes that smoking levels in this age group are at the lowest level, at only five per cent.

Meanwhile national statistics revealed today, Thursday, May 18, shows a rise in experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds, from 7.7 per cent last year to 11.6 per cent this year.

Children were asked if they had ever tried vaping once or twice, with the proportion roughly doubling in nine years, from 5.6 per cent in 2014 to 11.6 per cent this year.

It is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s but social media carries posts from teenagers showing vapes and discussing flavours such as pink lemonade, strawberry, banana and mango.

The latest survey of 2,656 youngsters was carried out by YouGov in March and April for Action on Smoking and Health (Ash).

It will be submitted as part of the Government’s call for evidence on measures to reduce the number of children accessing vaping, while ensuring e-cigarettes can still be used by adults who want to quit smoking.

Online awareness has also risen (from 24 per cent to 32 per cent), while awareness via buses stood at 11 per cent.

Asked about online awareness, children who had seen vapes promoted online said they had seen them on TikTok (49 per cent), YouTube (29 per cent), Instagram (28 per cent) and Snapchat (24 per cent).

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash, said: “We need to stem the tide of child vape experimentation and the Government’s investment in a crackdown on illegal underage sales of vapes is a vital first step.

“But enforcement on its own won’t do the trick without tougher regulation to address the child-friendly promotion of these cheap and attractive products.

“The Ash youth survey demonstrates the rapid growth of in-store promotion of vapes, using brightly coloured pack displays, reminiscent of cigarette displays from yesteryear.

“The evidence is clear, government needs to take strong action to prevent the marketing of vapes to children.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “It’s already illegal to sell vapes to children and we are exploring further ways to tackle youth vaping through our newly launched call for evidence, which will look at the appearance and characteristics of vapes, the marketing and promotion of vapes, and the role of social media.

“We also recently announced a new ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ – backed by £3 million – to remove illegal products from shelves and stop them from crossing our borders.”