Friday 31st August 2007
(ref:
260/2007)
Shopkeepers in Wigan are being urged not to get their fingers burnt when new tobacco laws come into force next month.
From Monday October 1, it will become illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under the age of 18 - an increase from the current 16-years old limit.
And the consequences of not complying with the new laws could leave anyone short of breath. Shops that do not display the correct signage could face fines of up to £1,000. While shops found actually selling cigs to kids could face a king size £2,500 penalty.
In the weeks leading up to the introduction of the new age limits Wigan Council’s Trading Standards team will be visiting shops across the borough to let traders know about the changes and what there responsibilities are.
Chief Trading Standards Officer Julie Middlehurst says:
“The idea behind raising the age limit is to prevent teenagers from starting to smoke in the first place. Someone who starts smoking at 15 is three times as likely to die from cancer due to smoking as someone who starts in their mid-twenties. This is why we want to work with businesses in the borough to make sure everyone knows about the new rules and is doing their bit.
“It is a similar situation to the underage alcohol sales. We have always had fantastic co-operation from the majority of traders on this issue and we feel sure we will get the same when it comes to cigarette sales. However it must be said that we regularly conduct operations to identify those who are not playing by the rules and as we have proved in the past we will not hesitate in taking action against people who break the law.”
The change in the legal age of smoking comes in the wake of the smokefree public places legislation which came into force in July and has also been a great success in the borough.
Wigan Council’s Cabinet Champion for Lifestyles Cllr Brian Baldwin says the new laws are like a breath of fresh air for the borough.
Cllr Baldwin says:
“In Wigan we want to encourage people to lead healthy, active lifestyles. We want more people to take exercise and improve the quality of life for everyone. There’s clearly no room for smoking in this vision, especially not amongst young teenagers.
“Statistics show that the younger you are when you start smoking the more chance you have of dying from a smoking-related illness.
“Smoking is a really bad habit. It’s unhealthy and it’s expensive. The two things smoking isn’t are big and clever so we’d urge all young people to stay clear.
“I gave up smoking three years ago so I know how difficult it can be, but my health feels a lot better as a result so I’d urge all smokers to give it a go.”
Cllr Baldwin adds: “We fully support Trading Standards in enforcing this new law. We are talking about the health and well-being of our young people and there can be no excuses for those who break the law.”
You can find out more about the changes in the smoking age by visiting: www.tobaccoagechange.co.uk (External link)
