Why people who have never smoked are getting hooked on vapes

Alex, from Manchester, also gradually formed a vaping habit, which started after she occasionally vaped on nights out and then began to take the vapes home.

The 26-year-old, who didn't want to give her last name, says the habit would become such a constant part of her life that she would work while "lying in my bed with my laptop in front of me and then my vape on my chest".

Prof Sarah Jackson, from the University College London Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, points out that while "alarm bells" may ring at the recent ONS figures, it could be the case that some of the people in this group would have started smoking if they hadn't started vaping.

"In which case, vaping has diverted them away from a more harmful behaviour, which is good news," she says. "On the other hand, there will be people that are being exposed to more risk than they would have otherwise."

She points to a 2024 study from UCL researchers that found nicotine use had risen among young adults in England, although cigarette smoking had declined.

"We can infer from that that some of the people who are vaping wouldn't have smoked otherwise," Jackson says.

The ONS report says about 5.4 million people aged 16 and over vape in Britain, while the number of smokers of all ages continues to steadily fall. Some 4.9 million adults in the UK smoke.

The UK is aiming to cut smoking rates and reduce the appeal of vaping among children and young people.