The MP for Darlington has spoken out about the harms of children vaping, saying the issue "should be of great concern to all of us" after a survey showed that nearly 100,000 children in the North East have vaped.

MP Peter Gibson has asked for the government to consider licensing the sale of tobacco and nicotine products as a way of "regulating the sale of illegal, fake, and contraband" items. 

This comes after a months-long operation by Darlington Borough Council and Durham Constabulary to stamp out the sale of fake vapes - which has seized hundreds of thousands of pounds of products so far. 

Mr Gibson told parliament that trading standards and officers were having to play a game of "whack-a-mole" with the crime gangs selling illegal vapes in the town. He urged that the government consider a cross-departmental strategy to help curb the issue of underage vapes. 

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Mr Gibson said: "Recent research has shown that 24% of children have used a vape, 11 per cent of secondary school pupils would describe themselves as regular vape users, and the data that has been disclosed in today's article in The Northern Echo reveals that nearly 100,000 children in the North East have tried vaping.

"These figures should be of great concern to all of us." 

Mr Gibson declared his support for a bill proposed by MP Dr Caroline Johnson, which would see the sale of disposable e-cigarettes banned. 

"If [disposable e-cigarettes] were simply, purely, and only used to wean smokers off cigarettes, they would be doing their job, but we know that they are doing far more harm than that. 

"While vaping manufacturers insist that their products are for adults only, at the same time they design their products with descriptions, colouring, and flavourings that appeal to a far more impressionable audience.

Darlington has seen a crackdown on counterfeit tobacco and fake vapes in the past months, in a collaborative effort between Darlington Borough Council and Durham Police to curb illicit sales. Thousands of illegal items have been seized, and lawbreaking shops have been served with closure notices. 

However, this has like been a game of "whack-a-mole" for trading standards teams at local authorities. Mr Gibson implored Darlington residents to report illegal traders. 

Speaking about the risks of underage addition to vaping products, Mr Gibson added: "One of my biggest concerns is that we simply do not know the long-term effects of vaping, e-Cigarettes are very new. Let us not forget that there once was a time when cigarettes themselves were considered to be safe."

"Darlington parents are increasingly worried that children are being targeted by brands with social pressures seeing more children become addicted."

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"The time had come for us to consider licencing the retail sale of tobacco products, as a means of tackling those traders engaged in the sale of illegal, fake, and contraband tobacco and nicotine products.  

"These sales fuel organised crime gangs and it's another way of cutting off that money supply. 

Mr Gisbson went on to urge the government to consider a cross-department strategy involving health, home office, justice and education, as well as local working with local authorities, "to ensure that we have the right legislation in place to tackle these challenges."