A NEW vaping shop that its owners say will create five jobs opens in Hereford city centre today.

VPZ claims to be the UK's leading vaping specialist and is investing £80,000 in the Commercial Street shop.

It will be the 150th VPZ store in the UK. The chain is aiming to have 300 by 2021.

VPZ director Doug Mutter said: “We are excited to be opening the doors of our Hereford store as part of our ambitious growth plans across the UK.”

“At a time when many businesses are exiting High Streets across the country, we are committed to creating jobs and investing in communities throughout the UK like we are doing here in Hereford.

“Each new store opening helps us to achieve a greater reach, providing us with a platform to engage and educate even more smokers on the benefits of switching to vaping.”

On its opening weekend, the shop will have a number of offers for customers.

The Hereford shop will have a carbon monoxide testing monitor and lung capacity monitor so customers can track their efforts to give up cigarettes.

The firm says its "investment and commitment to improving the health of adult smokers across the UK has been made at a time when local authorities are cutting stop smoking services throughout the country".

In a 2018 report Public Health England estimated that vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes.

In September 2019 it said: "Vaping isn’t completely risk free, but is far less harmful than smoking tobacco.

"There is no situation where it would be better for your health to continue smoking rather than switching completely to vaping."

Latest figures released in a recent report from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) show that as vaping increases and smoking declines, there are now about half as many vapers as smokers, with approximately 3.6 million people vaping in the UK compared to 7.2 million smokers in the UK in 2018.

Mr Mutter said: “Vaping represents a huge public health opportunity and the market will continue to grow as increasing numbers of smokers recognise its effectiveness in helping people to quit smoking.

“Consumer education is crucial too and our knowledgeable staff are always available with advice and support that helps make it easy for smokers to make the switch and give up cigarettes once and for all.”