THE sale of electronic cigarettes to children could be banned in Wales amid concerns over the devices.

One vendor in Ebbw Vale said he would be behind such a ban and was already asking people for ID.

AMs will today vote on a motion that may have the effect of introducing a ban to people under the age of 18 being considered by the UK Parliament under the Children and Families Bill.

E-cigarettes – battery powered devices that emit vaporised liquid nicotine – have proved popular with people trying to quit smoking.

Mark Drakeford, Welsh health minister, told the BBC on Sunday that he was “very anxious” about e-cigarettes.

He said he didn’t dismiss arguments that they could be a useful tool to help people give up, but he said he was worried that the e-cigarette movement was “re-normalising smoking”.

“We don’t want e-cigarettes to become a gateway to real cigarettes,” he said.

Sid McLoughlin, owner of Vape for Life in Ebbw Vale, said he started his business selling e-cigarettes after he himself had quit normal cigarettes using them.

He said customers have come back to thank them for helping them to pack in their cigarette habit and while some buy high-end e-cigarettes he says he doesn’t push them.

The shop owner said he does not sell to under-18s and would support a ban, concerned children could turn it into a trend.

He said: “You have got to show ID if I believe they look under 18.”

Today the National Assembly will vote on a “supplementary legislative consent motion” on the UK Parliament’s Children and Families Bill.

This will allow the UK Parliament to legislate in Wales on a devolved area.

The motion will cover the prohibition of sale of nicotine-containing products to persons under 18 and the creation of associated offences.

All nicotine-containing products, such as electronic cigarettes, are to be regulated as medicines from 2016.