Tobacco ban flouted by one in three shops

Published on Friday 26 June 2009 10:00

THE latest crackdown on selling cigarettes to under-18s has revealed a third of city shops checked are still flouting the law.

Figures released by the city council show that 16-year-old volunteers, working with trading standards officers, were sold cigarettes at 13 out of 40 shops visited during a test exercise over the past two months.

The shops now face a range of sanctions from warnings to fines of up to 2500.

City leaders would not release the names of the shops which failed its tests, or the sanctions they are facing, but the operation is ongoing with premises in the city centre and Leith among those set to be targeted next.

City leaders were given extra Scottish Government money earlier this year to ensure that the council can visit a minimum of 10 per cent of Edinburgh's tobacco retailers ever year to test purchase sales to under-18s. The government target is to halve illegal tobacco sales by 2011.

Sheila Duffy, the chief executive of anti-smoking group Ash Scotland, said: "Sadly up to a third of shops regularly fail test-purchasing enforcement programmes across Scotland, which starkly highlights that more work needs to be done to crack down on irresponsible retailers who sell cigarettes to children.

"I am pleased that the government's enforcement money is being spent on front-line enforcement but we also need stricter sanctions on retailers.

"The Tobacco Bill going through parliament will introduce fixed penalty notices for those who sell tobacco to under-18s and banning orders for repeat offenders."

The minimum age for buying tobacco rose to 18 in October 2007. A total of 143 retailers have been visited by the council's undercover investigators since the latest scheme was launched in January, with one in five shops found to be selling the cigarettes illegally.

The findings of the 2008 Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey report published last week revealed that many children are finding other ways to buy cigarettes.

Although, the survey found 57 per cent of 15-year-old smokers bought their cigarettes from shops, a further 16 per cent bought them from mobile shops, and ten per cent from vending machines.

City environment leader Robert Aldridge, said:

"It is important that young people are aware that they will be challenged by responsible shopkeepers if buying cigarettes.

"Retailers have generally reacted well to visits from enforcement officers, and have found their advice useful, but the results of the most recent test purchase exercise are disappointing and highlight the importance of continued action and enforcement."