A man says he is lucky not to be blind after a vape malfunctioned and flared up in his face.

Alan Martin, 59, from Pier Road, Gillingham, is warning others to be wary of using the correct chargers after the incident on Friday, when the electric cigarette began billowing smoke and spitting hot fluid as he held it.

The retired postman took it back to the shop where he bought it and was told the malfunction was probably caused by using a 5amp USB plug rather than the recommended 1amp vape charger.

"My partner smokes the vapes and asked me to fill one up for her," he said, recalling the incident. "It started violently spitting out smoke and went up in my face.

"It zoomed up and just missed my eye - if it had gone in my eyes it could have been a lot worse.

"It was quite bad," he added. "Both our smoke alarms went off, and we had to open the windows and the cat bolted out too. I threw it on the draining board, and it was still smoking and spitting."

Mr Martin said there should be more information widely available to warn vape users of the dangers, and believes vapes should always be sold with the correct chargers.

"I can't understand why the right plug doesn't come with it," he added. "I took it down to the shop and they said it should be used with a 1amp plug not a 5amp plug.

"There are loads of people who buy these vapes without the 1amp plugs, with intention no doubt, to use USB plugs that they already have indoors, so obviously saving the extra £4.99. This is very dangerous and it should be law that the shops that sell these vapes, must include the USB 1am plugs."

The government has previously warned vape users only use chargers recommended by manufacturers.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) say failure to do so could cause fires or explosions.

Around 6% of Brits vape, which represents up to one in five smokers.

High profile incidents have seen a teenager left with shattered teeth after a vape exploded in his mouth and a man in Florida killed when his blew up in 2018.

The OPSS and CTSI urged users only to use chargers supplied with devices and not phone chargers.

While there is no suggestion Mr Martin's vape broke regulations Kent County Council's Trading Standards department warned of the risks electric cigarettes can pose earlier this year.

In February, they seized almost 7,000 vapes which broke regulations and warned such products could pose a risk.