A NEW vape clinic has opened in Andover, offering smokers a one-to-one consultation with a vaping specialist.

VPZ has opened the vape clinic service at its shop in the Chantry Centre, as part of their mission named ‘Stoptober’ to help people quit smoking.

Doug Mutter, director of VPZ, said: “We are proud to roll out our Vape Clinic service in Andover and beyond this Stoptober to give the nation’s smokers the support they need to quit and help the country regain its momentum toward becoming a smoke free nation by 2030.

“Smoking statistics are continuing to rise as the pandemic has triggered an increase in smoking rates and the public health problem has been compounded by funding cuts for NHS stop smoking services and local support groups.

“Our new Vape Clinic concept is an investment to fill the void left by the loss of local NHS stop smoking services. We are so confident in the success of our new service that we are offering our customers a money-back guarantee if they are unable to make the switch entirely.”

A spokesperson for the vape retailer said the clinic has been introduced to meet the growing demand for stop-smoking services as access to local services and vaping retailers massively reduced during lockdown.

The retailer said this has left thousands of smokers left without any services to help them quit.

According to VPZ, there are around 78,000 people in the UK dying from smoking year on year and many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses.

Andover Vape Clinic is open seven days a week, 10am to 5pm to all customers who book a free, 30-minute appointment.