Trafford’s leading Labour politicians have called on government to tighten regulations around the sale of vapes in a bid to protect children amid a surge in young people taking up the habit.

Cllr Jane Slater, Executive Member for Health and Care, tabled a motion during Wednesday’s meeting of Full Council, arguing that young people are being enticed to vape by professional marketing gimmicks.

Cllr Slater fears the vapes, boxed in brightly coloured packaging offering an array of different flavours, should be banned and strict new measures imposed in the same way as tobacco advertising.

“We need to support our schools to educate our young children about the dangers of using vapes including the side effects of inhaling chemicals contained in e-cigarettes,” said Cllr Slater.

“We all know the long-term effects of nicotine on our health, and in some cases, this has resulted in the condition known as popcorn lung (the official medical term is bronchiolitis obliterans).

“The motion asks the leader of the council to write to government for tighter regulations while asking MPs to lobby government for support funding for schools that can be used to educate children around the dangers of vaping.”

Cllr Slater also called for harsher punishment imposed on retailers who sell vapes to young people under eighteen-years-old – and prevent sellers from operating near schools.

In addition, Cllr Slater wants to see a public health team afforded more powers to prosecute those merchants fluting the law in a bid to protect the borough’s young children.

Cllr Bilal Babar, who represents Brookland Ward, echoed his colleagues concerns and argued that all local politicians have a collective duty to protect Trafford’s children from the harmful effect of vaping.

“The rise in use of vaping devices amongst our youth is very alarming,” argued Cllr Babar.

“The NHS website states that vaping is not completely harmless and is only recommend for adult use as a last resort to help those addicted to stop smoking.

“Meanwhile, the Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention also states that young people who vape are more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future given that most of the products contain nicotine.

“In addition, some products do not actually disclose the fact that they contain the dangerous drug, however, once tested traces have been found.

“There is also evidence to suggest that using e-cigarettes while in your youth can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.

“Vaping can also lead to anti-social behaviour and criminal engagements – and I therefore urge all councillors to lobby government and your local MP for tighter regulations around the sale and use of vapes in order to protect our children’s health.”