A VAPING shop owner in Worcester says he is not surprised more people are 'stress smoking' during the pandemic, as he has seen his business grow in the last year.

A new survey has shown more than half of smokers smoked more due to the stress throughout the last six months, and more than more than four in 10 e-cigarette users, 42 per cent, are vaping more regularly too.

Andrew Connellan, who runs Connect2Vapes in Broad Street, says he has seen "more and more" new customers as the year went on.

Mr Connellan said: "We took names and addresses of people so we can deliver to them when we haven't been open, and that number has gone off the scale.

"In a way it has been a boom industry, compared to many others who I feel sorry for. I try to keep my head down when so many others have not done so well.

"We have done really well, selling bigger and bigger bottles.

"People have been stressed during this past year. Worried about the pandemic, worried about their jobs.

"They have needed it. They have needed that support of vaping, and for some its smoking nicotine.

"But it is so much better to be vaping, much safer."

The new survey from analysts Mintel also showed young people in particular are taking refuge in the smoking habit, with 39 per cent of smokers, aged 18-34, saying they are now smoking more regularly.

And it found a further 10 per cent of all smokers have started smoking again after quitting, and a further seven in 10 said that their respiratory health is more important to them now than before the Covid-19 outbreak, with 65 per cent saying they are worried that the virus is more dangerous to them as a smoker.

Hazel Cheeseman, Action on Smoking and Health's director of policy, said: “A million smokers were galvanised to quit during the first lockdown, but as this research shows, some will have relapsed and those who didn’t stop may now be smoking more.

“Every smoker should know help is out there to stop and, that although quitting can be stressful to start with, after only a few weeks ex-smokers experience improved wellbeing as much or greater than if they were taking anti-depressants.”

Mintel surveyed 1,935 adults aged over 18 in October.