Retailer sting: 48% sold cigarettes to minors

SHOP owners came under fire last night after a survey showed almost half of retailers were willing to sell cigarettes to minors.

The Office of Tobacco Control’s research was a serious indictment of retailers and pub and hotel owners after it revealed the extent to which youngsters could get their hands on cigarettes.

Researchers went undercover with children under 18 years of age, attempting to buy cigarettes in 1,526 shops and licensed premises. The audit, carried out in August last year, found 48% of staff in shops sold packets to minors. Furthermore, when it came to the ages of those undercover, almost one in three 15-year-olds could have purchased cigarettes.