CHILDREN are becoming so addicted to vaping they are making themselves sick by putting nicotine pouches in their mouths during school lessons.

The claims were made during a Council meeting where members were told that underaged vaping in West Yorkshire schools was “off the scale.”

West Yorkshire Joint Services, which includes Trading Standards, gave a report on their work to tackle illegal sales of goods like tobacco and alcohol at a meeting of Bradford Council’s Corporate Scrutiny Committee on Thursday evening.

Members were told that in the past year, Trading Standards officers had seized 13,911 illegal oversize vapes in Bradford alone.

And some businesses have been taken to court for selling vapes to children during test purchases.

During the presentation, Councillors raised concerns about underage vaping in the city.

Councillor David Green (Lab, Wibsey) said: “I would say that underage vaping is a bigger problem than underage smoking was.

“I think there was an assumption that vaping was safe. It is safer than smoking, but it is not safer than not vaping.

“You see it all across Bradford, you see younger and younger children with fruit flavoured vapes.

Andy Robson, Director of West Yorkshire Joint Services, said: “It is a hot topic. The amount of vaping that goes on in schools is off the scale.

“Some children are so hooked on nicotine that they are putting tobacco pouches in their mouth during lessons and making themselves sick.”

He said Trading Standards needed to first send a warning letter to a business if they received a complaint about underaged vape sales. If they then received another complaint, they could then carry out a test purchase.

Members were told that resources were stretched, and there were just three staff across the whole of West Yorkshire able to deal with this issue.

Mr Robson told the meeting: “Colleagues at Public Health have a real problem with this issue. Initially they wanted to use vapes to get adults off smoking, but when children then see these adults using the vapes they think it’s safe.

“Public Health England haven’t nailed their colours to the mast publicly, but they are really concerned.

“Research in the States has shown it harms brain development, and can lead to popcorn lung. There are a lot of unknowns.”

Chair of the Committee Councillor Nazam Azam (Lab, City) said: “Vaping seems like its acceptable for 13-year-olds. They wouldn’t dare smoke in front of their parents, but will vape at home.”