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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