Calls have been made for a ban on single-use vapes in the wake of a fire in a bin lorry that meant waste had to be unloaded onto a road.
Eastleigh Borough Councillor, Liz Jarvis has said that the environmental impact of single-use vapes is "really worrying" with over 1.5 million devices ending up in landfill sites in the UK every week.
The parliamentary candidate for Eastleigh has put forward a motion to ask the borough council to back her calls for a ban on the disposables.
It follows an incident when a vape in a bin lorry burst into flames in Bursledon in July, prompting a response from fire crews.
Cllr Jarvis told the Echo: “Despite the name, disposable vapes are not easy to recycle, they need to be disposed of carefully.
"Unfortunately, there was a fire in an Eastleigh Borough Council bin lorry in the summer caused by a single-use vape.
"Vaping has been shown to be less harmful than smoking and also has a place as a tool for adults who are trying to give up smoking.
"However, there are concerns locally about the increase in children and young people who are trying vaping, and about the environmental impact of disposable vapes on our rivers and wildlife."
She said the government should be doing all it can to discourage children from vaping adding that they are "littering our streets".
Eastleigh Borough Council issued a statement to residents after the fire on July 18 asking for them not to place vapes in kerbside bins.
READ MORE: Bursledon bin lorry fire caused by disposable vapes
The fire was first noticed by the crew as they emptied bins with two fire engines later attending to water down the waste.
Rubbish had to be emptied out onto the road but luckily no one was injured.
The motion, which will be discussed at a full council meeting next week, asks the council to write to Health Secretary Victoria Atkins supporting an immediate ban on the sale of single-use vapes.
It also asks for the authority to investigate introducing proper collection points to dispose of the devices.
The motion comes as the government has launched a public consultation on youth vaping as part of measures to clamp down on vapes being promoted to children.
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