A record 4.5million Brits now vape

A record: 4.5 million Britons are now steamers, as official data shows.

The proportion of those who smoke e-cigarettes daily has increased to 8.7 percent over the past year, from 7.7 percent in 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics.

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Activists warned of a worrying trend as 15.5 percent of under-25s now enjoy one every day.

Action on Smoking and Health’s Deborah Arnott called for government action to be taken against child-friendly e-cigarette branding.

She said: “It should put products out of sight and out of reach in stores and introduce a tax on children’s favorite pocket-money disposable e-cigarettes.”

The surge in vaping comes as the number of tobacco users has fallen to 6.4 million, the lowest on record, according to the ONS.

E-cigarettes are considered healthier than cigarettes because they contain no cancer-causing chemicals.

Little is known about their long-term effects, however, and countless studies have shown that they are not without risk.

ONS figures show that the largest increase in e-cigarette use is among women under the age of 25.

And the percentage of non-smokers who vape has increased by 60 percent.

The e-cigarette industry argues that increasing use among children is due to fraudulent sellers flouting the law, which requires buyers to be at least 18 years old.