A WINCHESTER vape shop has said it always checks IDs of people who look under 25, despite a national rise in underage vapers.

In the last year, the number of vapers aged between 11-17 has risen by 3.7 per cent.

One major growing factor is that Vape shops are not asking minors for ID and selling them nicotine vapes without a second thought.

An average vape pen has two per cent nicotine content which sounds harmless to most people but can be very harmful and addictive to a child. 

There have been several undercover cases which have exposed shops selling vapes to under-18s and even cases of shop owners selling them to secondary students still in uniform.

However, Tidal Vape in Winchester is a shop that takes its age policy seriously and does so through thorough checks.

Imogen Walter works in the shop on Winchester High Street and believes that other shop owners aren't doing enough. 

She called for the law to be enforced more by the police. 

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She said: “Anyone who looks under 25 will be ID checked as a precaution, and we do not take ID pictures on your phone either, you need to have a formal ID physically with you.”

Imogen went on to say that she thinks that vaping is getting a bad name in the press because of the rise in underage usage with most news about vaping being negative.

Vaping has had its share of negative media with the Sun doing undercover stings to catch these shop owners selling to minors. 

Vapes can cost as little as £10, cheaper than cigarettes, making it cheap and easy to buy. Vape pens such as elf bars and lost mary’s can be found for sale at most convenience shops or off licences.