Tougher measures to tackle underage vape product sales are wanted by the county, according to a new survey.

Two thirds of Kent residents think £100 on-the-spot fines for shopkeepers illegally selling vapes to children is too low, while 83% think they should be licensed.

The study is in line with Kent County Council’s recent decision to back calls for the government to ban disposable vapes and clamp down on rogue retailers.

Overall, as many as seven in ten people surveyed across the county expressed concerns about the issue, according to a new study by Britain in Focus.

Under UK law, a person must be 18 or over to buy vapes.

The survey, commissioned by vape manufacturer BAT UK, found most respondents believe illegal sales to children are common or very common in the region.

The outgoing government had proposed new sweeping laws for vapes, via the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which passed recently through parliament.

Asli Ertonguc, the UK lead for BAT, said: “There is a narrow window to get this right with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

“The introduction of a retail licence and increased fines would provide a much greater measure of control around who can sell vapes and help keep these products out of the hands of the underage.”

The bill proposes several changes to how nicotine products – including cigarettes and vapes – can be sold and marketed in the UK.

The Bill also includes a generational smoking ban, restrictions on vape marketing and flavours, alongside the introduction of £100 on the spot fines (fixed penalty fines) for shops which sell tobacco and vapes to the underage.

But according to the new research, residents in Kent do not think the government is doing enough.

Five out of six residents want the government to introduce a new vaping licence for shopkeepers, something not currently included in the government’s plans.

The current proposed fine of £100 is too low with many considering a ten-fold increase more appropriate.

KCC passed a motion urging government ministers to scrap all disposable vaping devices.

The council has been supporting calls for the use of gaudy packaging and child-targeted flavours to also be banned as they are designed to be attractive to the young.

A KCC statement said: “To address the gaps in evidence about underage vaping, KCC’s submission also references KCC Public Health team’s plan to conduct a survey to explore the use of nicotine and non-nicotine vapes among Kent secondary school students.”

Kent County Council’s director of Public Health, Dr Anjan Ghosh, said: “By making addictive tobacco products less accessible to young people, delaying the start of smoking and potentially reducing the risk of them starting smoking in the first place, this proposal, if passed, would be the single most important public health legislation in a decade.

"Younger people vaping is also a cause for concern because while vaping can help adult smokers quit, anyone who doesn’t smoke should not vape.

“It’s not risk-free and its effects on undeveloped lungs not fully understood."