Vapes could be limited to just four flavors as ministers consider ways to prevent children becoming addicted to nicotine.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has repeatedly raised concerns about the marketing and design of e-cigarettes, with colorful packaging and sweeteners that could appeal to young people.
Ministers could limit flavors to flavors such as tobacco, mint, menthol and fruit, but want more time to consider the risk of putting adult smokers off switching to vaping, the Times reported.
Sunak is said to be in favor of sweeter flavors such as “cotton candy” being used to hook children.
On Monday the government is expected to set out its response to a consultation on child protection, as data suggests one in five have now tried vaping, despite it being illegal for under-18s.
The King’s speech last year promised new legislation that would allow for tougher restrictions.
A decision on flavors will be postponed until later this year, but in the meantime, a ban on disposable vapes will be proposed under existing environmental law, according to the Times.
The BBC reported that the number of illegal vapes seized at the border quadrupled last year. Citing figures released following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, the broadcaster said more than 4.5 million vapes weighing almost 10 tonnes have been seized in the last 12 months – four times more than in 2022.
The figures show that Border Force seized just 4,430 vapes in 2021, rising to 988,064 in 2022, and 4.54 million from January to October 2023.
Last June, The Guardian revealed that millions of illegal and potentially harmful fumes had been seized by trading standards over the past three years, with experts warning that a “tsunami” of products was flooding into the country.
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Responses to FoI requests from 125 local authorities revealed that more than 2.5 million illegal e-cigarettes have been collected since the start of 2020.
The e-cigarettes do not comply with UK legal requirements and may have a higher nicotine concentration, contain banned ingredients or have overly large nicotine liquid tanks. Previous analysis found that illicit vapors contained high levels of lead, nickel and chromium.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “The health advice on vaping is clear: vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, but if you don’t smoke, don’t vape – and children should never vaping. We have discussed measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children. We will announce further details in due course.”