Expert warns against social media vaping trend that could burn your house down

Stoptober is a time of year when both smokers and vapers alike try to kick the habit for good. It can involve various techniques to help - but a new 'trick' could lead to a severe incident.

One recent trend involves people trying to quit simply dropping their vape into a cup of water to dispose of it and stop their habit. However, experts have hailed this technique as dangerous and could have deadly consequences.

Vape expert Pascal Culverhouse, of , has warned that this hack may stop you from vaping but could potentially burn your home down. The fact the device is submerged in water will lead to permanent damage to the electrical parts inside - effectively making the vape useless.

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But, Pascal warned doing this leaves you at risk of the device exploding. He said: "Vape pens are electronic devices that contain lithium-ion batteries.

"While legitimate vapes are robustly made and have safety measures built into them, dropping your vape pen into a glass of water could cause it to short circuit and make them explode. Looking through the social media videos, after these devices have been soaked in water they are then thrown in the bin.

"Even if the device doesn't explode, if it were to malfunction in the bin, it could quickly set your home on fire and have deadly consequences. There is no reason to be doing this with your vape pens, as they aren't designed to be put in water."

Vapers looking to quit for good have been urged not to take notice of this trend. Instead, if you are looking to quit, you should always dispose of your vapes responsibly.

It's estimated that a vape is thrown away every eight seconds. Not only does this add to the growing waste problem in the UK, but it also throws away valuable materials that can be recycled and used in other electronic devices.

estimates 5,000 electric cars worth of lithium could be saved if people recycled their vapes correctly. The website also lists some of the more responsible ways to part with your unwanted vapes.

Pascal added: "It takes a little more effort to dispose of your vapes responsibly but if you are going to get rid of them don't throw them in a glass of water and then in the bin. You have several options such as taking them to your local recycling centre or vape shop, as some of these will take back your old vapes when you buy a new one.

"Not only do you help the environment doing it this way, but you also keep your family safe by not throwing potentially damaged electronics in the bin in your home".