A Carlisle businessman says new vaping laws must be reassessed once Britain leaves the European Union.

Changes to the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 - the UK’s implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive - formally came into effect last month.

The new regulations mean that vaping shops across the county are no longer able to sell liquids that contain nicotine in bottles bigger than 10ml.

The new law also means that tanks on each device is also restricted to a 2ml capacity.

All vaping products must also be sold with a warning which states “This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance” even if there is no nicotine present.

But Ian Rowley, who runs Escape and Vape in Carlisle Market Hall, says there are ways to bypass the new regulations.

“I can still sell liquids in bottles of 10ml, 30ml, 60ml or whatever, as long as there’s no nicotine in them,” he told the News & Star .

“I’m also selling 10ml bottles of nicotine, which people can then add to the liquid themselves. If someone asks me to do it in the shop, I won’t but there’s nothing to stop other people.

“Trading Standards can come in and ask to test some of the liquid but they’ll find there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.”

Mr Rowley, who has been using e-cigarettes for about eight years, said the new regulations are simply deterring people from vaping - and that the law must be looked at again in the coming years.

“I’m 34, I’m relatively young,” he said. “I started using them [e-cigarettes] about eight years ago. Before then, I was smoking 60 to 100 cigarettes a day. If I hadn’t have switched then I could be dead.

“We voted to leave the EU. I know we’re tied in for another two years but once we’re out then the issue should be reconsidered.”

Restrictions have also been placed on the advertising of vaping products and liquids must be tested by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The International British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) said that both it and its members are not opposed to regulation, but some of the new laws make vaping less attractive to people who people who are trying to give up smoking – and more expensive.

Fraser Cropper, chairman of the IBVTA, said: “The UK’s independent vape industry has a global reputation for quality and innovation.

“Combine this with the enlightened approach many in the public health field have taken towards vaping, then the UK really does have the potential to become a global leader in vaping.

“This tremendous opportunity will only be realised if the regulatory and fiscal environment in which our industry operates is proportionate.

“We therefore hope that the next government will commit to reviewing these regulations at the earliest opportunity."