On September 11, according to foreign reports, retailers across the Scottish Highlands have been warned to ensure they comply with the law when selling e-cigarettes.

The Highland Council's trade standards state that all nicotine vapour products (NVPs), commonly known as e-cigarettes, must be purchased from reputable UK suppliers and wholesalers.

These e-cigarettes should also be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before being sold to consumers. Unapproved products have been found to contain dangerous levels of nicotine.

Retailers wishing to sell tobacco and e-cigarettes must legally register through www.tobaccoregisterscotland.org.

Numerous fixed penalty notices have been issued to northern retailers that sell e-cigarettes to persons under 18 or fail to enforce age verification policies.

Trade standards officials also found a large number of substandard e-cigarettes on the local market, some of which posed a high risk to the health of potential users.

Trading Standards Manager David MacKenzie said: "The recent explosion in e-cigarette sales has presented us with various challenges.

"Unsafe e-cigarettes were found in general supply, while other products lacked instructions and warnings that are critical to informing and protecting vulnerable consumer groups, such as those with diabetes or heart disease."

“Retailers must not sell non-compliant e-cigarettes to the public. And of course, stores must not sell any type of e-cigarette to children.”

Over the past 12 months, officials at Highland Council Trade Standards have seized more than 3,000 illegal vaping products from Highland stores.