{"id":25515,"date":"2025-07-16T14:50:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T14:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/?p=25515"},"modified":"2025-07-16T15:42:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T15:42:35","slug":"vapers-face-1000-fines-under-new-uk-metro-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/post\/vapers-face-1000-fines-under-new-uk-metro-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"Vapers face \u00a31,000 fines under new UK Metro ban"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Metro passengers in the UK can now be slapped with fines of up to \u00a31,000 for vaping anywhere on the network under a controversial new byelaw.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The public transport operator Nexus says it introduced the rule in Tyne and Wear after “customer feedback” flagged vaping as a common complaint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department for Transport (Dft) has formally approved the measure, putting vapes on the same legal footing as traditional cigarettes, which have been banned since the Metro opened in 1980. The law, which bans smoking on all Metro trains and in stations, officially came into force on July 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nexus insists it\u2019s targeting a minority of users. \u201cThe overwhelming majority of our customers who vape are considerate,\u201d said Kevin Storey, the operator\u2019s operations director. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the minority who vape on our property should be aware of the introduction of the byelaw and the potential for being issued with a fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, no one has been fined under the new rule, but enforcement is expected to ramp up. An enforcement officer told the BBC that many of those caught vaping have been minors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Action against harm reduction\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While Nexus says the move is a response to customer satisfaction, critics see it as part of a growing pattern of punitive action against harm-reduction alternatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision followed a statutory consultation period required by the Dft. Mr Storey said: \u201cThe new byelaw has been through a statutory process of consultation, and has now been agreed by the Department for Transport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt prohibits the use of vapes and electronic cigarettes across the entire Metro system, in the same way that smoking is already banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drivers and train passengers warned<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The move comes after motorists who vape were warned last year that they face a \u00a35,000 fine and nine penalty points for breaching the Road Traffic Act. While the law doesn\u2019t specifically ban vaping, police have discretion to act if it\u2019s deemed careless or inconsiderate driving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then in January, Northern Trains told passengers that anyone caught vaping on trains<\/a> or platforms would be kicked off and could face prosecution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although vaping has been banned on most UK train services since 2014, Northern said rule-breakers had been lighting up in toilets, stairwells, and carriage footwells to avoid detection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe want to be clear that vaping is not permitted on our trains or at any of our stations,\u201d said Matt Rice, Northern\u2019s chief operating officer. \u201cThose who are caught vaping may be asked to leave the train by a member of staff and we will not tolerate any abusive or aggressive reactions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Transport operators including Network Rail, GWR, TfL, and Stagecoach are stepping up enforcement across the board. Vaping remains outside smoking legislation, but most public transport and indoor venues now enforce their own bans – including stadiums, arenas, hotels, and restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tighter rules to come<\/strong>The warnings around vaping and transport come ahead of the government\u2019s Tobacco and Vapes Bill<\/a>, which is expected to hand more enforcement powers to authorities targeting vaping behaviour on the road and in public.<\/p>\n

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Metro passengers in the UK can now be slapped with fines of up to \u00a31,000 for vaping anywhere on the network under a controversial new byelaw.\u00a0 The public transport operator Nexus says it introduced the rule in Tyne and Wear after “customer…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":990002,"featured_media":25527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[257],"tags":[183],"slider":[],"class_list":["post-25515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-harm-reduction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/990002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25516,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25515\/revisions\/25516"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25515"},{"taxonomy":"slider","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/slider?post=25515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}