Four Greater Manchester areas named in country’s top 10 ‘vape capitals’

Four areas in Greater Manchester rank in the top six ‘vaping capitals’ in the UK, a new study has revealed. Manchester, Salford, Bolton and Stockport have among the highest registered vape shops per 100,000 residents amid across the board concerns about the harm illegal vaping maybe doing to children.

Blackburn ranks as the UK’s vaping capital, with 22.56 registered vape shops per 100,000 residents, the largest figure for any UK town or city.

Second on the list is Bolton, with 20.26 vape shops registered per 100,000 population. The borough has 41 registered vape shops in total serving its 202,369 residents.

Manchester ranks third, with 110 vape shops. However, the city’s larger population means this works out to 19.84 registered vape retailers per 100,000 residents.

Rounding out the top five is Salford, equivalent to 12.03 shops per 100,000 and Stockport ranks sixth, with 10.91 vape retailers per the same proportion of residents.

Last September, a meeting of Bolton Council heard child addicts as young as 13 are ‘unable to go an hour’ at school without vaping. They heard St Joseph’s high school in Horwich installed vape sensors to address the crisis.

Horwich and Blackrod First member Samantha Williamson, said: “In recent times, we have observed a concerning rise in the use of vape products among youngsters, leading to an increase in disruptive and anti-social behaviour within our schools.

“There are 13-year-old addicts unable to go one hour without a vape and sensors going off not just hourly but by the minute.” Trading standards officers at several Greater Manchester councils have worked with police to address black market illegal vape products.

In Salford last July, around £400,000 worth of illegal vapes, some with up