Smokefree North West demands tougher action on under-age smoking in Halton

Apr 16 2009 by Oliver Clay, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

ANTI-SMOKING campaigners have demanded tougher laws on cigarette sales in Halton just one week after the Government hardened penalties on retailers selling tobacco to kids.

Smokefree North West (SFNW) welcomed the changes but said more should be done to combat teen smoking.

Figures show 22.5% of 15-16-year-olds in Halton and St Helens smoke.

But since April 1, retailers selling tobacco to under-18s will lose their licence for one year and pay a fine of up to £20,000.

A Smokefree spokesman said research shows that 67% of 15-year-old smokers in the North West buy their fags from a news agent, tobacconist or sweet shop.

Andrea Crossfield, Smokefree North West director, said: “Any measures that restrict the supply of tobacco to young people are clearly going to have a positive impact.

“However, in order to see a significant reduction in the number taking up smoking, the Government must take further action to protect them.

“Parliament is currently considering further measures, including retailers having to put cigarettes out of sight at point of sale and the phasing out of cigarette vending machines.

“There is strong support for this legislation. More than 60,000 North West residents contacted the Department of Health supporting these new measures.

“The prevalence of smoking in the region is a huge social problem. One in five deaths in the North West is due to smoking, and secondhand smoke accounts for around 14,000 deaths in the region annually.

“Only by tackling the uptake of smoking in young people we can break the inter-generational cycle.”