Shock surge in number of lags setting fire to their cells – and vapes are to blame
Shock surge in number of lags setting fire to their cells – and vapes are to blame
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THE number of lags setting fire to their cells has more than doubled in four years — with soaring numbers of vapes to blame. Inmates started a record 2,931 blazes deliberately or by accident in the year to March 2023, well up on the 1,273 between 2019 and 2020.
![[Man vaping an electronic cigarette.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/photo-nicolas-tucat-afp-photo-957890253_77bba2.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
It is believed the 126 per cent surge was caused by vape pens — either smuggled in, or bought with cash earned for jail work. The most blazes — 137 — were recorded at HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Gtr Manchester. An insider told The Sun: “E-cigs have become so common that they can easily start fires.
“Even if they are minor, it takes a lot of time and effort to sort out and that distracts officers from other duties.”. The number of contraband e-cigs in jails is not recorded but officers made 4,673 discoveries of tobacco last year. Labour minister Sir Nic Dakin, who released the figures, said: “The majority of fires were minor.
