Three Workington traders have been caught out in a sting by selling e-cigarettes to teenagers.
Police and Trading Standards carried out the undercover operation and youngsters attempted to buy vapes in eight stores. Five declined to make the sale.
The sting was arranged after the force and Cumberland Council had received several complaints from concerned parents, schools, and members of the public about shops selling the vaping products to the underaged.
It is a criminal offence to sell nicotine vaping products to under-18s or purchase them on their behalf. Traders found to be breaking these rules risk being prosecuted and fined up to £2,500.
The Trading Standards team said it had also seen a steep increase in harmful, non-compliant, products on sale in shops and welcomed new government proposals to crack down on the sales of e-cigarettes to under-18s.
They include preventing advertisers targeting children and not allowing retailers to give free samples of vapes to children. There will also be a review into banning sales of nicotine-free vapes to under-18s and a review of the rules on issuing fines to retailers that illegally sell e-cigarettes to children.
Investigations are continuing into the retailers that sold the products to underage teens, the council said.
