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City retailers hit with fixed penalty notices for underage tobacco sales

Aberdeen City Council Trading Standards Service has issued £200 fixed penalty notices to two people selling cigarettes to 16-year-old volunteer test purchasers.

During their summer and autumn test purchasing programmes, Trading Standards visited 48 tobacco retailers across the city with 16-year-old volunteers. As a result of the city-wide programme cigarettes were sold on 13 occasions to test purchasers.

Fixed penalty notices were issued after two of the shops sold cigarettes for a second time to 16-year-olds within three months.

Trading Standards Team Leader Graeme Paton said: “I am disappointed that almost a quarter of those visited sold cigarettes to our 16-year-old volunteers having failed to ask them their age or for proof of age.

“The Scottish Government wrote to all tobacco retailers earlier this year to raise awareness of new statutory controls on the sale of tobacco. In addition each of the retailers visited had been given advice, information booklets and posters and yet 11 of them supplied cigarettes and two of those sold twice.

“We applaud those traders who refused to sell. They have all been sent a letter congratulating them on their responsible behaviour but at the same time we have reiterated the importance of continued diligence with regard to the sale of tobacco and other age restricted products.”

The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010 places a duty on local authorities to carry out programmes of enforcement action within its area to assess compliance with the Act.

The Act also allows officers to issue fixed penalty notices where they have reason to believe an offence has been committed under the Act. Failure to pay can result in a report going to the Procurator Fiscal.

If a tobacco retailer is repeatedly the subject of tobacco enforcement actions, the council can apply for a banning order which will prevent the business from selling tobacco.

Mr Paton added: “As required by the Scottish Government, we are planning further test purchasing exercises but in the meantime we will continue to work with retailers in the city, providing information and advice on good business practice to help ensure future compliance.”

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