The UK has banned the sale of disposable vapes, but experts have cautioned that this could further encourage the sale of illegal or unregulated products.

Since this Sunday (1 June), UK consumers are no longer be able to purchase disposable vapes in-store or online at UK retailers, in a bid to crack down on the waste created by the devices and the rise in young people vaping.

Shoppers seeking popular disposable vape brands such as Elf Bar, Lost Mary and Geek Bar will instead be able to purchase reusable versions of the devices, which remain legal.

As a result, some brands say they have not seen a decline in demand since the ban was announced. UK e-cigarette manufacturer Supreme’s chief executive, Sandy Cadha, told the Financial Times that the business had already seen its customers transfer to reusable vapes.

“I don’t think [youth] uptake will change as it is basically the same product . . . Consumer habits will just change over to the new systems,” Cadha said.

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The warning around unregulated devices has been echoed by analysts, including Shore Capital’s Clive Black, who said the new regulations could inadvertently see illegal disposable devices flood the market.

“A lot [of the market] is unregulated so one of the problems down the line will be the black market,” he said, adding: “It is naive to think that young people won’t be able to get hold of [vapes] . . . they will.”

Last year, supermarket chain Waitrose announced it was backing the government’s ban on disposable vapes as it reaffirmed its commitment as the only supermarket to have never stocked the products.

Waitrose commercial director Charlotte Di Cello said: “As the only UK supermarket that decided never to sell disposable vapes, we absolutely support the government’s ban.”

“Not only are the devices being picked up by huge numbers of younger, non-smokers, they’re also an environmental nightmare, with over five million binned each week.

“We look forward to finally seeing collective action to help protect young people and prevent unnecessary and dangerous waste going to landfill.”