Smoking laws 'must be enforced' to be effective

NEW laws to discourage young people in the Lothians from smoking must be enforced or the process will prove a waste of time, a city charity has said.

Edinburgh-based ASH Scotland said it was pleased legislation was being introduced to hide tobacco products from sight in shops.

But its chief executive Sheila Duffy warned those measures would be useless unless local police and councils took the time to make sure they were being adhered to.

She said: "With previous additional money to help with enforcement programmes coming to an end, and cuts being faced by all local authorities, I am concerned that enforcing these new laws, many of which will be introduced this year, may not be seen as a priority by some cash-strapped local authorities.

"Yet it is essential if we are to prevent future generations becoming hooked on a product that causes such long-term public health problems."