UK's most vape-addicted counties named in worrying new figures
The UK is in a strawberry-scented cloud chokehold, with one county being dubbed Britain's vape capital. Despite the government recently clamping down on vaping by banning single-use devices - many Brits are still hooked on their Lost Mary and Elf bars. Companies have adapted to the ban quickly, selling similar-priced devices with a single-use pod that can be taken out and replaced.
While this is substantially better than exclusively flogging disposable vapes, it has sparked concern that these reusable devices will still be viewed as throwaway products - despite containing precious metals.
After many Brits chose to stockpile on single-use vapes before the ban, it is predicted that millions of vapes will still be thrown away or littered every single week.
But, which counties are the worst culprits when it comes to sucking on these insatiably popular devices? Well, a new report by Vape Ease UK has mapped out the country's nicotine addiction after analysing data on the number of vape shops in each area, as well as the percentage of adult vapers, and how often locals are Googling the word 'vape'.
Lancashire, located in North West England, was named and shamed as Britain's vape capital, with a whopping 40 vape shops per 100,000 people in the region of Accrington. Vape Ease UK states the adult vaping rate in the region is around eight to nine per cent, while the search interest for 'vape' is 'massive'.
"From Blackburn to Burnley, vaping is part of daily life — and Accrington leads the UK in per-person vape shop access," the experts said in a statement sent to the Mirror. Following a close second is Greater Manchester - with 33 vape shops per 100,000 residents in Bolton and 26 shops per 100,000 residents in Stockport.
"Seven out of the UK's top 15 vaping hotspots are in Greater Manchester," the pros added. "Vape shops are everywhere, and locals are constantly Googling e-liquids and devices. It's a true vape stronghold."
UK's most vape-addicted counties - the full list
Lancashire
Greater Manchester
North East (Durham and Teeside)
West Yorkshire
West Midlands
Northern Ireland
Greater London
South Wales
Devon
Nottinghamshire
While vaping was long touted as a better alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes, research has started to shed light on just how bad vapes are for the body. As previously reported, these fruit-flavoured devices can still increase the risk of a slew of diseases including dementia, heart disease and organ failure.
The biggest risk with vaping seems to be its ubiquitous nature. As Dr Boidin points out: "Smokers tend to go outside and smoke, and once a cigarette is finished they have to light up another to keep going.
"But with vapes, you just keep going and it's much harder to know how many puffs you've had. It's much easier to vape continuously because you can do it in places where smoking might be less acceptable."
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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Brits urged not to visit zoos with great apes amid calls to free our 'cousins'
Experts, conservationists and celebrities are calling for an urgent phase-out of great apes in zoos, and urge the public not to visit attractions which exploit our closest cousins for profit Great apes kept in zoos suffer from chronic stress, obesity, heart disease, and poor mental health, warns a new report. There are more than 1,500 gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees and orangutans currently held in European zoos, with more than 300 in the UK alone. But Born Free say these highly intelligent and profoundly social creatures experience traumatic births, high rates of stillbirths, maternal rejection, and instances of infanticide as a result of captivity. The report also says great apes suffer in environments that will never meet their complex physical, emotional, and social needs. As a result Zoo guidelines recommend medicating great apes with antidepressants to alleviate stress. The charity is calling for "jungle not jail" and urged the public not to visit attractions which exploit our closest cousins for profit. Ian Redmond, Born Free Advisor and World-renowned Great Ape Expert, who studied wild gorillas alongside the late Dr Dian Fossey said, 'Having had the privilege of spending time with great apes in their natural habitat, where they take their own decisions, I find it increasingly uncomfortable seeing their lives in captivity. And having surveyed apes in UK zoos 35 years ago, I know some individuals who have faced the same daily routine for nearly four decades. The zoo industry and the Government must take note of changing public attitudes and, based on scientific evidence of ape cognition and ecology, heed the recommendations in Born Free's new report.' Germany keeps the greatest number of great apes in Europe with 349 in zoos followed by the UK with 315 - 14 bonobos, 143 chimpanzees, 95 gorillas and 63 orangutans. Dudley Zoo currently has six orangutans including three-year-old Joe born there. During the Mirror 's visit Ian Redmond tells us how he is the great grandchild of Joe - believed to have been captured from the wild aged two in 1962. He spent the rest of his life in the zoo until he died in 1995. Ian said: 'The thought of him being locked up for four decades is painful.' Born Free's report highlights how great apes are our closest living relatives, with immense capacity for learning - they are known to pass cultural knowledge down through the generations. Despite this, Born Free says we continue to incarcerate our closest cousins in zoos where they are denied agency over fundamental aspects of their lives – how they live, who they live with, who they mate with, or how to escape conflict. As Our Captive Cousins: The Plight of Great Apes in Zoos The research also outlines the many, often fatal, instances where a great ape's inability to escape conflict, due to enclosures which lack the space and complexity of wild environments, has resulted in serious injury or death. Tragically, on occasions where great apes have escaped their zoo enclosures, humans have also been injured, and the animals typically pay with their lives. It also questions claims by zoos that the keeping and breeding of great apes in captivity is somehow important for their conservation stating that zoo-bred great apes are genetically and behaviourally unsuitable for release into the wild. As confirmed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), releasing zoo- bred apes into the wild poses serious risks to wild populations. Shockingly, the report also highlights how European breeding programmes have produced an excess of male great apes; these 'surplus' individuals face a deeply uncertain future. The charity's report is particularly pertinent as it comes just months after the long-awaited release of the UK government's revised Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, set to take effect in May 2027. If implemented stringently and effectively, it is highly questionable if any UK zoos will be able to meet the new great ape welfare. Will Travers OBE, Born Free's Co-Founder and Executive President stated, 'Wild great apes and the places they live in around the world are crying out for help. Their conservation is not enhanced by keeping thousands locked up in zoos. That teaches us nothing. Treating them as living commodities, to be stared at rather than admired and celebrated, shows us that, while humans may dominate this planet of the apes, we know the price of everything but the value of nothing.' Chris Packham, Naturalist and Broadcaster said the report is 'a stark reminder of humanity's complex and challenging relationship with zoos. He added: 'All the evidence to prove radical change is now imperative is here. Great Apes mustn't be imprisoned for our entertainment any longer.' Chris Lewis, Born Free's Captivity Research and Policy Manager said: 'Many of us are fascinated by great apes due to the similarities we see between themselves and us. "When confined in zoos, it also means we are uniquely positioned to empathise with their suffering and their lack of freedom. With less than half of Britons recently stating it was acceptable to continue the keeping of great apes in zoos, it is yet another example that modern society is increasingly conscious and concerned by the keeping of such highly intelligent animals in captivity. To continue to confine these complex beings for our entertainment can no longer be justified on the basis of science, welfare, or animal and public safety.' Dr Jo Judge, CEO of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and aquariums said: 'This report fails to recognise that good zoos are working every day to improve the lives of great apes, BIAZA member zoos are at the very forefront of animal welfare. Member zoos have to adhere to the highest standards for animal care, as well as legally adhering to the strictest zoo licensing system in the world, with the new standards including a specific chapter on the care of great apes. All ape species are either Endangered or Critically Endangered – they are at risk of being lost forever, good zoos are a crucial tool in the fightback against extinction. 'Every single great ape in the care of good zoos is known by name and character, provided with round-the-clock expert care and lives in specially engineered habitats. The fact that the life span of great apes in human care often far exceeds that of wild counterparts is testament to this extraordinary care.' 'Great apes are among the most brilliant and complex animals in the care of zoos and safari parks. Visitors cannot help but be inspired by the rich and busy lives of our closest relatives. To feel the power of a gorilla or see the skilful clambering of an orangutan or the social behaviour of a chimpanzee family is to be inspired to care for these amazing animals. These are animals living rich and meaningful lives.' 'The simple fact is that good zoos are not just leaders in great ape welfare, but are also leaders in conservation. Good, modern zoos are guardians of the natural world and conduct and support many, many conservation projects to save great apes in the wild. Whether that is conserving 2 million hectares of Cameroon rainforest, removing snares and preventing poachers in Uganda, providing veterinary expertise for rescued apes in sanctuaries across the world, or removing unsustainable palm oil from our food chain to protect wild orangutans. 'In the wild, apes face enormous threats; hunting, disease, deforestation and habitat loss as well as the impacts of climate change. Imagine the painful death a chimp faces being caught in a snare, or the trauma facing orphan apes as they are ripped away from their mothers for the illegal wildlife trade, that everywhere they go their homes are cleared for mining and logging. 'That feeling we all have of wanting to do right for the natural world, for our closest cousins, is exactly what drives BIAZA members to provide such incredible care for the great apes. As a fellow wildlife charity we encourage Born Free to come and find out about our work to deliver a world class standard of animal care and our leading conservation work.' 'Zoo conservation is making an essential difference to wild apes. Everyone can be proud to support our brilliant zoos which provide homes where great apes can thrive.' It doesn't get any easier. After more than 50 years of visiting zoos around the world, you would think I'd get used to seeing apes in captivity. Whilst I am still fascinated by every ape I encounter – their personality and individual story - as I leave each captive, I am still saddened by the restricted lives they lead. Having also had the good fortune to study gorillas and photograph or film chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans in their natural habitat, the contrast is stark. Back in 1973 when I was a student, I visited Guy, London Zoo's famous gorilla. He was then housed with Lomie, who had joined him as a five-year-old in 1969. But having been alone for 25 years, and captured in Cameroon as an infant, his social skills were limited and Guy didn't father any offspring. Between 1988 and 1991, I surveyed most of the apes, elephants and rhinos in the UK and Ireland for Zoo Check, visiting 86 exhibits in 32 zoos/safari parks, plus six circuses and a monastery. Of these, 29 zoos had gorillas, chimpanzees and/or orangutans and two of the circuses had chimpanzees. Four decades later, some things have improved. Thankfully, performing apes and elephants in UK circuses are history. Many zoos that used to house one or two of each kind of ape now have more individuals of fewer species in appropriate social groups. Outdoor enclosures are more varied and most have some natural vegetation (though usually trees are ringed with hot-wires to prevent apes from climbing them). Two UK zoos, Howletts and Port Lympne (both owned by the Aspinall Foundation) are rewilding Kent-born gorillas in Congo and Gabon, and report successful breeding in the wild, but no other zoos are following this example. Today, the numbers have changed somewhat (19 zoos with apes instead of 29 and 2 circuses in 1990), and more attention is paid to environmental enrichment in the better zoos, but the life of a captive ape is still one of social and sensory deprivation compared to a life in the wild On 24th April 2025, Dublin Zoo announced the death of its 'much-loved' female Northwest Bornean orangutan Leonie. The zoo said she was 'an iconic presence since her arrival from Rotterdam Zoo in 1984' and that the 44-year-old 'was at the heart of our orangutan family for four decades'. I checked my notes from 1988 and sure enough, I had watched and photographed Leonie, then aged seven, playing with Maggie, two years her junior, while their adult male cagemate, Sibu, lay in a heap and gave exaggerated yawns at the public. My notes recorded that Leonie threw excrement at one noisy school party and begged for food from another group. Maggie tasted a damp patch on the concrete floor – there appeared to be no food or water freely available and the only enrichment was a swinging tyre. As well as noisy children their soundscape included a children's ride that played Fur Elise electronically.I have a lasting memory of Leonie as I left, face against the glass of her indoor quarters, a picture of boredom isolation and sensory deprivation compared to a life in the complex ecosystem in which orangutan species evolved to play a role as a keystone species. The thought of her being locked up for four decades is painful. I don't doubt that the keepers and public cared deeply for her but her every move, every decision – what to eat, where to sleep, with whom she could mate - was taken for her by humans. For an intelligent autonomous being it wasn't much of a life and unless more zoos begin rewilding the captives in their care, that is the prospect for each infant ape born in a zoo. If they survive into adulthood, they face 40, 50 or even 60 years of concrete and steel indoors, and an exercise yard with at best some grass and a climbing frame, but gazed upon constantly by crowds of humans. According to online sources, Leonie had one infant, a son named Carl, now in Barcelona Zoo, and acted as a surrogate mother to Mujur, still in Dublin. On the face of it, for a female ape to give birth is a wonderful thing and incomparable in terms of environmental enrichment for the mother. But unless the breeding is part of a rewilding programme, reintroducing the species into suitable habitat within its historical range to restore its role as a keystone species to forests depleted of apes, then the question has to be asked: is it moral to encourage breeding for a lifetime in captivity? About 10 years ago, a video of Leonie rescuing a bird from a lake went viral, demonstrating her innate compassion. As more and more zoo visitors record interesting snippets of ape behaviour on their smartphones and post them on social media, more and more people are being surprised by the self-evident level of ape cognition. The time is long overdue for a re-evaluation of the ethics of imprisoning apes (and other sentient, self-aware social animals) for zoos to provide a fun day out for the kids. I hope this new report on apes in UK zoos will trigger such a public debate.
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
Romantic fantasies of the French in India
'The English cannot assimilate any nation,' declared the narrator of a French travelogue set in India and published in the aftermath of the uprising of 1857. 'They can only dominate with brutality, squeezing every last drop of blood from the veins of the oppressed.' Reduced to 'slaves' who 'tremble before the Englishman's whip', the Indians in this tale yearn for the 'heroic Dupleix and his deputy de Bussy'. Had Louis XV's jealous court not betrayed those two men, 'India would have been French, not British'. The book was a work of fiction. It had to be. In reality, scarcely anybody in India, barring a reactionary nawab here and an obscurantist sultan there, longed for French rule. The French were history's losers. They were latecomers to India, backed the wrong locals, were betrayed by their masters at home and, despite their ambition and resourcefulness, were outsmarted by their British rivals on the battlefield. But defeat produced a powerfully nostalgic reaction in them for what might have been, in the way that an unrequited romantic constructs fantasies about a failed relationship. Like the Dutch, Portuguese, Danes and British, the French had gone to India to plunder it. But that opportunity lost, they imagined themselves as tragically thwarted missionaries of liberty. A cottage industry of counterfactual history materialised in France to cater to a market mourning India's 'loss'. The actual history, as Robert Ivermee shows in his luminous Glorious Failure, was wretched. The French preached Christianity to Indians, pillaged their wealth and enslaved their bodies. The Mughals attempted to halt the last of these horrors, but the trafficking of abducted Indians on French vessels did not end until the 1830s. The French rose and expanded rapidly in India. By the time the Compagnie des Indes launched in 1664, the Portuguese had been present in India for 166 years and the British for more than six decades. But it took the French less than a century to emerge as Britain's chief adversary on the subcontinent. The credit for this belongs to Joseph-François Dupleix, the governor of French India, whose labours to build an Indian empire for France occupy a large chunk of this book. With some luck Dupleix might have ended up as the French Robert Clive. He was a more competent diplomat and a less avaricious administrator than his British counterpart. What he lacked was reliable support from Paris. In 1754, he was abruptly recalled home for having exhausted the Company's coffers in pursuit of his political vision. French decline in India thereafter was swift. The Seven Years' War, ending in 1763, confirmed France's diminished status: losing spectacularly to the British in southern (or peninsular) India, it was left with five trading posts, which eventually became colonies of the French crown. France never recovered its nerve. Indians who set their clocks by the French would find themselves ruinously disappointed. Tipu Sultan, despite being the most formidable challenger to British dominance in southern India, failed to extract support from the French even after sending embassies to Paris. Napoleon, who saw his invasion of Egypt in 1798 as a mere prelude to the conquest of India, retreated home once Tipu's kingdom fell to the British the following year. But France clung to its possessions in India until well after the British departed the subcontinent. In 1949, no longer able to control an increasingly restive population, it staged a referendum in one of its territories. The result was a decisive repudiation of the romantic fables of French rule fabricated by Parisian writers. Virtually the entire population chose unification with India. Under intensifying pressure from Delhi, which threatened to choke French India by imposing economic cordons around it, Paris ceded control to India of all its holdings by 1954 – though this transfer of power was only ratified by the National Assembly in 1962, following the end of French rule in Algeria. Ivermee begins his book with a counterfactual scenario in which Jawaharlal Nehru, India's inaugural prime minister, recites his 'freedom at midnight' address in French. Although the ideas that emanated from revolutionary France – of liberty, equality and fraternity – animated the spirit of the liberal constitution India gave itself, an India ruled directly by France would have lacked the ingredients that gave rise to its unique quest for national independence. There would have been no Gandhi in French India. British rule, with all its cruelties, is what quickened India's unification and rebirth in a republican democratic avatar. The experience of those exposed to other imperialisms can be instructive and clarifying. Consider the words of the late Tibetan writer Tsewang Yishey Pemba in 1974: 'If only Tibet had been annexed as a British colony she might today enjoy the same status as India.' To recall Pemba's words is not to exonerate imperial rule. It is to remind ourselves that there were infinitely worse forms of it than what India ultimately got.
Scotsman
6 hours ago
- Scotsman
Nearly a quarter of Scots cannot identify a single risk factor of type 2 diabetes, new research from Tesco reveals
Tesco and Diabetes UK are urging the nation to learn about the seriousness of type 2 diabetes, after new research uncovered a worrying lack of awareness of the condition among UK adults. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The survey revealed that almost two thirds (65%) of those surveyed in Scotland without any type of diabetes or prediabetes have not considered their risk of type 2 diabetes. Figures also showed that the biggest blockers to eating more healthily in the last 12 months are the cost of healthy eating (30%) and lack of time to prepare healthy food (22%). To support this, Tesco and Diabetes UK have developed a new meal planner that will help people living with or at risk of type 2 diabetes to shop for, and prepare, their meals. Together they have created a range of healthy, affordable summer recipes, alongside healthier versions of meals the nation loves, to help everyone living with or at risk of type 2 diabetes – and their friends and families – enjoy food this summer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With the government focus on prevention of ill health, identifying people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and supporting them to lower the risk is vital. The research found that over a third (37%) of Scots surveyed who do not live with diabetes (or live with pre-diabetes) are concerned about developing type 2 diabetes now or in the future. Douglas Twenefour, Head of Clinical at Diabetes UK. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition affecting millions. It requires constant management, and can lead to life-altering complications including sight loss, strokes and heart attacks. Its signs and symptoms can be difficult to spot, meaning people can live with type 2 diabetes for several years without realising. But with the right support, about half of all cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed, and in some cases, put into remission. Tesco is continuing its partnership with Diabetes UK to support those living with diabetes and those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with the campaign supported by GP, author and nutritionist Dr Rupy Aujla. One in five (20%) [2] UK adults are currently living with diabetes or prediabetes, yet despite the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its seriousness, public awareness of the condition is surprisingly low. Nearly 1 in 5 people surveyed could not identify a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (19%) or a single sign or symptom of developing any type of diabetes (20%). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With 11% of Brits saying they didn't have time for a health appointment, it's important that people know they can access convenient health advice from a Tesco Pharmacy rather than waiting for any health concerns, particularly around diabetes, to get worse. More than a quarter of people surveyed also said they would rather wait and see how health concerns developed (26%) or that they didn't think their health concerns were serious enough for an appointment (25%). GP, author and nutritionist Dr Rupy Aujla. Tesco Pharmacies provide specialist information and support for customers to help lower their risk of type 2 diabetes. Customers living with diabetes can speak to specially trained staff in-store about their medication, raise concerns, or talk about any aspect of diabetes in more than 300 Tesco pharmacies. People can also complete Diabetes UK's free, online Know Your Risk tool to find out their risk of type 2 diabetes, and how to lower it. Dr Rupy Aujla who is an author, nutritionist and the founder of The Doctor's Kitchen (a recipe website, app, series of books and podcast), supports the campaign, and as a former GP really understands the importance of helping people reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes, particularly through healthy food and a balanced diet. The most common enquiry topic in 2024 for customers contacting the Diabetes UK Helpline was eating well and physical activity, representing 35% of all enquiries. So the new recipe for Summery Lentil Ragu is set to be a household favourite, and the three-day meal planner offers actionable, affordable, easy-to-follow food advice. The Diabetes UK Helpline is supported by Tesco and its customers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jonathan Bridgett, Tesco Pharmacy Services Manager, said: 'We are committed to making a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of all our customers. By continuing to work in partnership with Diabetes UK, we hope to provide the resources and support to help people understand and manage their risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as those living with any type of diabetes, this summer and beyond, with our trained colleagues in more than 300 in-store Pharmacies.' Douglas Twenefour, Head of Clinical at Diabetes UK, said:'With 1 in 5 UK adults now living with diabetes or prediabetes, knowing your risk has never been more important. Type 2 diabetes is a complex condition with many risk factors, but with the right support, it's possible to lower your risk and, for those with the condition, it's possible to live well. We are delighted to continue our partnership with Tesco to raise awareness and provide practical tools that can make a real difference in people's lives.' Dr Rupy Aujla, said: 'After working with thousands of patients living with type 2 diabetes during my time as a GP, raising awareness of the risks and sharing simple, practical ways to eat well is a real passion of mine. I'm proud to be supporting this campaign and hope to encourage people to not only eat more healthily, but also increase their physical activity – taking positive steps towards better health.' For more information about the signs and symptoms of diabetes, visit
