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Crackdown on sale of cigarettes to children
Businesses face tough penalties if they flout the looming ban on selling cigarettes to children, city council chiefs have warned.
Portsmouth City Council's trading standards department issued the warning ahead of a change in the law.
From October 1 it will be illegal to sell any product containing tobacco to children under 18, raising the age from 16.
Businesses face the same fines and prosecution as now if they do not comply.
Selling tobacco products to someone under the new age of 18 can result in a fine of up to 2,500. Failing to display notices warning customers of the change can result in a fine of up to 1,000.
Trading standards manager Robert Briggs said: 'It is the responsibility of the shopkeepers and traders to comply with the law - it is not up to us to make sure they do.
'The onus is entirely on them. If a person looks under 21 really they should be asking for ID and checking it carefully. This may irritate some 18-to-21-year-olds but I hope they can see why we are doing it.
'There is no bedding-in period. People will have plenty of warning that the law is going to change. If we do uncover people selling tobacco products to (children] we will take action.'
The law applies to vending machine and over-the-counter sales.
Posters advertising the law change will be put up on the sides of all city buses in September and health chiefs will work with young people in the community to help them stop.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Sunday 12 February 2012
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