Retailers in south Cumbria are being warned they face prosecution if they do not do more to stop children buying cigarettes from their shops.
The warning comes from Cumbria Trading Standards after five out of nine retailers targeted in a recent test-purchase campaign failed to prevent a 15 year-old girl from buying cigarettes. The sellers ranged from sole traders to national supermarket chains.
Phil Ashcroft, head of Cumbria Trading Standards, said: "It is totally unacceptable that more than half of the businesses visited failed to carry out the simple test of asking for proof of age.
"If businesses are serious in their aim to prevent young people having access to tobacco, they must take effective action to ensure that no one under 18 years-old is sold cigarettes.
ENDS
Please note: Cumbria County Council's media team telephone numbers have now changed.
Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228 226337.
Notes
1. It is against the law to sell cigarettes to anyone under 18 years. The maximum fine for selling to someone under 18 years-old is £2500.
2. The younger people start smoking, the more likely they are to smoke longer and die early. Someone who starts smoking at 15 years-old is three times more likely to die of cancer due to smoking than someone who starts in their mid-20s.