According to a new survey by the Federation of Scottish Grocers, 45% said they tend to agree or strongly agree that the government should encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes.

About 23% said they disagreed, 23% said they had no opinion, and 9% said they didn't know.

The poll, launched by the Diffley Partnership, asked more than 2,000 people about their views on smoking and vaping. Less than half of the respondents were current or former smokers, and about one-fifth were current or former users of e-cigarettes.

John Lee, head of policy and public affairs at the SGF, said: "Scots, both smokers and non-smokers, have given vaping a thumbs up.

"E-cigarette users are telling us that they are switching to vaping because they are safer, cheaper and more likely to give them a permanent cessation of smoking," he said.

The poll showed that e-cigarette users chose these products because they were cheaper and less harmful, with 41% of respondents saying it helped them stay away from cigarettes.

The investigation follows a government consultation suggesting that in-store promotional displays of e-cigarettes should be banned.

It proposes that vaping products should be positioned as pure smoking cessation aids to help those who are currently smoking tobacco products to switch to less harmful alternatives and gradually quit smoking completely.