Parents have reacted with horror to the opening of a “vapes and candy” shop just around the corner from a Scots high school.
The store - recently painted bright pink - was slammed as a “disgrace” and an “embarrassment” by locals in Denny, near Falkirk.
Formerly just a vape shop, the storefront sign now reads “Hayz Vape / Hayz Candy” with a teddy bear logo in the middle.
It’s located at a busy crossroads which includes the main route to the local high school - about a ten-minute walk up the road for schoolkids.
One parent, who wished to stay anonymous, told the Record: “The Hayz Vape & Hayz Candy shop has recently been painted a bright pink colour on the outside of the building, making it stand out and be very noticeable with a huge sign advertising their vapes and sweets.
“It is also next door to the 'candied' ice cream shop.
“I find it a disgrace that our local council would allow vape shops to open so close to a school and also to advertise and sell sweets in the same premises is disgusting.
"How can we prevent young people from taking up smoking vapes if we are encouraging them into these brightly-coloured sweet shops on their way to school?
"The town is already littered with rubbish and vapes are discarded all around the streets and pathways to and from the high school... it is such an embarrassment to the town."
Council chiefs stressed there was nothing illegal about the branding of the store, which used to be a betting shop.
But campaigners and politicians hit out at our “disturbing” findings amid growing alarm over the widespread use of vaping products among kids, including on school premises.
Recent stats show one in ten 15-year-old Scots admit to regularly vaping - up from just three per cent a few years ago.
Social media posts from the Denny business include promotional images of a “chew vape” surrounded by chewy sweets.
Other updates include encouraging the use of GoHenry cards - pre-paid debit cards available for youngsters aged six to 18.
Despite the store selling both vapes and sweets, on Facebook the company uses two different pages - one called “Hayz Vape” and the other called “Hayz Candy”.
A post on the Hayz Candy page but shared by Hayz Vape, on April 21, said: “Hi everyone, just to let you know that the card Matchine [sic] now accepts go Henry cards.”
Sheila Duffy, boss of health charity ASH Scotland, said: “We are deeply disturbed by shops promoting sweet-flavoured vaping products in ways that are clearly targeted at children.
“The image of a teddy bear in the store’s signage and a photo of a vape surrounded by sweets on the shop’s Facebook page is extremely troubling.
“By associating vaping with the allure of candy treats, shops like these could be creating a dangerous connection in the minds of children, leading them to believe that e-cigarettes are harmless.
“That is simply not the case, however, as nicotine is highly addictive and many vapes include toxic chemicals that have not been safety tested for inhalation and could seriously damage lung health over time.”
She added: “It is distressing to consider that retailers, making profits through the sale of health harming e-cigarettes, can continue to shamelessly exploit the impressionability of children until appropriate regulations are implemented.”
The Scottish Government is currently considering tougher rules on the marketing and branding of e-cigarettes - as well as a potential wholesale ban on disposable devices.
The explosion in teen vaping has come as polluting disposable brands have also soared in popularity, with fears the fruity, bright-coloured devices are being targeted at kids.
Our Bin the Vapes campaign is calling for single-use e-cigs to be outlawed both on environmental and child health grounds.
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay, who backs the campaign, said: “Targeting nicotine products at children is a shameful practice by manufacturers and retailers, which must stop immediately before it leads to serious long-term health problems.
“Practices like selling vapes alongside sweets, and advertising the acceptance of debit cards designed for children as young as six, are leading to a boom in the number of children vaping at younger ages.
“This kind of advertising is at the heart of a growing problem.
“We can’t allow shops and supermarkets to chase profit margins at the expense of our young people.”
A Falkirk Council spokesman said: “There is nothing in national planning legislation that prevents the sale of vapes and confectionery in this type of premises, nor is there anything preventing it from being painted. In addition, the signage does not require an advertisement consent.
“Falkirk Council has no legal powers to prohibit the opening of premises selling vapes.
“Its Trading Standards team does, however, visit such premises unannounced to establish if current legal requirements are being met, including those in the Denny area.”
Hayz Vape & Hayz Candy was approached for comment.
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