Government set to ban under-18s from buying electronic cigarettes

The coalition also plans to make it illegal for adults to purchase cigarettes for anyone under 18, under tough new laws aimed at cracking down on teenage smoking.

The announcement comes as e-cigarettes enjoy a boom in sales, with an estimated 1.3 million people in the UK thought to use them.

The law, which will be introduced this week as an amendment to the Children and Families Bill, will also ban ‘proxy purchasing’ – knowingly buying tobacco on behalf of someone under 18.

Adults caught breaking the law, which Ministers hope will come into force by the autumn, could be given a £50 fixed penalty notice or fined up to £2,500.

Public Health Minister and Conservative MP Jane Ellison said: “Two-thirds of smokers say they smoked regularly before they were 18, showing that this is an addiction largely taken up in childhood.

“We must do all we can to help children lead a healthy life. That’s why this measure is designed to help protect children from the dangers of being bought cigarettes by irresponsible adults – something that I hope concerned parents and responsible retailers will welcome.”

While many people view the tobacco-free devices as a better alternative to traditional cigarettes, health experts remain deeply concerned about the long-term effects they could have on users’ health.

E-cigarettes provide a hit of nicotine and some fear they reinforce the behaviour of smoking, making it harder to give up in the long term.

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: “We do not yet know the harm that e-cigarettes can cause to adults let alone to children, but we do know they are not risk-free.

“E-cigarettes can produce toxic chemicals and the amount of nicotine and other chemical constituents and contaminants varies between products meaning they could be extremely damaging to young people’s health.”