Schoolchildren alleged to have sold e-cigarettes to classmates at two public schools have been identified, the education minister said yesterday.

Diallo Rabain added that “appropriate actions were taken”.

He said: “The students were brought in, their parents were brought in.”

But he added: “I can’t talk about what happened to the students.”

Mr Rabain said that he could not comment on the intended use of the vapour pens or how many had been confiscated.

He added that police had launched an investigation.

Police announced on Wednesday that vapour pens, often used as a cigarette substitute, had been sold at Dellwood Middle School in Pembroke and CedarBridge Academy in Prospect.

The pens are designed to heat a liquid until it is vaporised and can be inhaled. The liquid often contains nicotine, as well as flavours and other additives, although products without nicotine are also produced.

The US Surgeon General has warned products can contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, including heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead, ultrafine particles that can be inhaled into the lungs.

E-cigarettes also contain diacetyl, a chemical linked to lung disease.

The devices have also been linked to the consumption of illegal drugs, including marijuana.