Vape crackdown to be extended to second town

A Kent partnership which aims to tackle vapes being sold illegally and to people who are underage is being extended to a second town in the county.

The Local Vape Action (LVA) pilot was launched in Tunbridge Wells in September and brought together Kent County Council, Kent Police and the Independent British Vape Trade Association.

Ashford is now set to benefit from its own project, which will have an initial focus on targeting illegal underage sales.

A spokesperson said the pilot had generated "important momentum and positive change in raising retail compliance".

LVA is a local partnership approach delivering targeted action and engagement to address specific vape-related issues.

A spokesperson said: "More engagement is needed to ensure retailers have no excuse in not meeting their statutory requirements when it comes to selling age-restricted products such as vapes."

The second project in Ashford will be subject to a full evaluation and will inform the development of a national LVA that will be launched later in 2025.

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