Council leaders are calling for tough action, including a total ban on coin-operated cigarette vending machines, after new figures showed that sales of cigarettes to under-age children have risen by almost fifty per cent in the past year.
Trading standards officers from councils across England carried out a six-month long test purchasing operation using underage volunteers. The results of the operation show that underage sales have risen by almost half since the previous survey in 2006/7 with one in five retailers tested found selling to children.
All types of retailers were targeted during the operation, including independent newsagents, large national retailers, off licenses and petrol stations.
But it was vending machines came out worst by far, prompting the Local Government Association and council trading standards coordinators LACORS to call for a total ban on the sale of coin-operated vending machines with only token-operated machines allowed. Young people were able to buy cigarettes from coin-operated vending machines on more than four in ten occasions with a number of councils reporting a 100 per cent failure rate.
Cigarette vending machines account for less than one (0.9) per cent of total cigarette sales, but research suggests that around one in six (17 per cent) underage smokers use vending machines to buy cigarettes.
The next worst culprits were independent newsagents, with almost a quarter of those tested selling tobacco products to underage children. Off licences fared best, with illegal sales made on 14 per cent of occasions – though this is still higher than last year’s overall average figure for all premises.
It is an offence to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or cigarette papers to anyone under 18 years of age, even if they look older. This includes vending machines. The maximum fine for selling tobacco products to a person under 18 years of age is £2,500.
Cllr Geoffrey Theobald OBE, chairman of LACORS, said:
“Despite the progress council trading standards teams have made in recent years on cutting underage sales this worrying increase shows that retailers are not doing enough to make sure they aren’t selling cigarettes to kids. This isn’t rocket science and it isn’t anything new for retailers. If they suspect someone is underage who can’t prove otherwise, then they must refuse to serve them or face the consequences.
“Council trading standards officers will not hesitate to prosecute retailers who persistently flout the law and damage the health of young people by illegally selling cigarettes to children.”
Cllr David Rogers, chair of the LGA Community Well-being board, said:
“The majority of smokers pick up the habit when they are in their teens, so it’s clear that if we want to continue to bring down smoking rates we need tough action to make sure children cannot get their hands on tobacco products.
“The worry is that the recent increase in the legal age to 18 has forced many more under-age smokers into pubs and other premises to try to buy cigarettes from vending machines after being turned down in shops. Banning coin-operated machines would mean they are no longer the easy target for young people that these shocking figures show they clearly are.”
***ENDS***
Notes to Editors
Age of test purchasers
LACORS’ test purchasing guidance for councils recommends using children who are a minimum of 18 months below the legal age for the product they are attempting to buy. So when the legal age for smoking was 16, councils will have used children of approximately 14 years of age; since the legal age for smoking was raised to 18, councils have been using children of approximately 16 years of age.
About the test purchasing operation
This report examines the level of illegal underage sales of tobacco products arising from test purchase operations carried out across England between 1 October 2007 and 31 March 2008. The results are compared with reference to the level of sales reported by Trading Standards in the year 2006-7.
|
|
Total attempts to purchase |
Total sales made |
Failure rate |
|
Total sales tobacco 2006-7 |
1823 |
241 |
13% |
|
Total sales tobacco 2007-8 |
2362 |
457 |
19% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Large national retailer |
295 |
57 |
19% |
|
Small retailer |
601 |
91 |
15% |
|
National newsagent |
125 |
24 |
19% |
|
Independent newsagent |
675 |
157 |
23% |
|
Off licence |
281 |
39 |
14% |
|
Petrol station kiosk |
206 |
31 |
15% |
|
Vending machines |
94 |
39 |
41% |
|
Other |
82 |
19 |
23% |
NB: Other premise type included for example leisure facilities, cafes
Children and Young Persons (Protection From Tobacco) Act 1991
Under this legislation, it is an offence for any person to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or cigarette papers to anyone under 18 years of age, even if they look older. This is the case whether or not the cigarettes are for the young person's own use. The maximum fine for selling tobacco products to a person under 18 years of age is £2,500.