A Wells school has said it is "increasingly concerned" about young people vaping in schools in a letter sent to parents.

The Blue School has shared its concerns in a letter from headteacher Mark Woodlock, sent out to parents last week.

He said the issue of vaping "has occupied a substantial proportion of my time in the last year."

Drawing attention to troubling national statistics, the letter highlighted that "nationally, the number of children trying vaping has risen by 50% in the last year."

The data reveals a significant increase in experimental vaping among 11- to 17-year-olds, "from 7.7% last year to 11.6% this year."

Woodlock also emphasised the insidious marketing strategies targeting young people. The letter criticised the marketing of vapes as specifically designed to appeal to children. "'Bubble gum' flavoured vapes marketed on social media with cartoon characters are designed to appeal directly to children, not adults," Woodlock wrote.

In addition to health concerns, the letter pointed out that vaping carries safety and criminal risks. Citing information from Avon and Somerset police, Woodlock said that vapes are acting "as a gateway drug for criminal gangs who are looking to exploit young people." It was also revealed that local shops have been reported for selling vapes to clearly underage individuals.

Environmental repercussions were also outlined, with the letter stating that "around 5 million disposable vapes are thrown away every week." The school took the opportunity to inform that disposable vapes contain lithium batteries, equating the waste to "the batteries inside 1,200 electric vehicles" per year.

As a course of action, Woodlock urged parents to talk to their children about the multifaceted dangers associated with vaping.

The school made a call to parents to "please report any concerns you have relating to the illegal sale of vapes to Avon and Somerset police" and pledged to maintain a strict line on the possession and use of vapes within the school premises.

In response to the letter, Wells MP James Heappey commended the school's efforts. "I congratulate the Headteacher of The Blue School on his excellent letter to parents and the robust approach that he and his staff take to the use, possession and dealing of vapes in school," said Heappey. He also noted that the community, police force, and school need to work in unison to ensure existing laws are enforced, stating, "It's time that we all realised what a scourge vapes are and how widely they are being used by school-aged children."