A year of lockdowns saw more people take up vaping, if sales by British American Tobacco are anything to go by.

The company has upped its forecast after millions of new customers took up its e-cigarettes, vapers and oral nicotine. The sale of traditional cigarettes also remained 'robust'.

The owner of brands like Dunhill and Lucky Strike, saw profits increase by 10 per cent in 2020 despite the Covid pandemic.

The company sells its 'new category' products across 53 countries and added a total of 1.4 million new customers. This includes products like Vuse sold in the UK.

The news comes as a group of MPs has called on the Government to tackle the 'tobacco epidemic' by raising the age of sale of cigarettes to 21.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health is urging the Government to make 'smoking obsolete'.

Jack Bowles, BAT chief executive, said: "We are growing New Categories at pace, encouraging more smokers to switch to scientifically substantiated reduced risk alternatives."

Vaping products like Vuse and Vype, as well as the tobacco-free nicotine pouch Velo, were used by a total customer base of almost 15 million in the first three months of this year.

The news comes as the industry as a whole is predicted to decline by three per cent.