School fits detectors to catch pupils who vape in the toilets

A SCHOOL has installed detectors in its toilets to catch pupils vaping.

The Royal High, in Edinburgh, has invested about £1,000 in the devices, which were installed in the three main toilets at the beginning of the month.

They work like smoke detectors but are designed to pick up on a specific set of chemicals present in vape mist.

If triggered, the devices emit a screeching alarm and also send a text message to staff.

Head teacher Pauline Walker told BBC Scotland News: ‘We want to send a message loud and clear. Vaping is not acceptable. We will not permit it. We will not promote it.’

She added: ‘They are nicotinebased and unfortunately a lot of the vapes young people get a hold of are on the black market.

‘They don’t have the controlled nicotine levels in them, so they

‘Vaping is not acceptable’

can be very high so we do see young people who are addicted.

‘As a school we need to support them to give that up, the same way we would with smokers.’

It is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s but social media is flooded with posts from teenagers showing coloured vapes and discussing exotic flavours.

Iain Welsh, a pupil support teacher at the Royal High said deterring pupils from vaping is a ‘constant battle’ but he believes the new devices will help.

He added: ‘We move them on and they find somewhere else, but we are committed to this to try to break a pretty negative cycle. The detectors are going to be a game-changer.’

The move comes as the Scottish Government said it would consent to UK-wide legislation aimed at curbing vaping.

A Scottish Government review of single-use vapes last year found that, in the year ending January 2023, there were 543,000 vapers in Scotland – of which 51,000 were under 16.