Cigarette sales

Tobacco products include cigarettes, cigarette papers and cigars.

There are rules in place for legitimate tobacco products to help cut down smoking prevalence rates and prevent take-up by young people.

All tobacco control legislation are enforced by our Trading Standards officers. These include:

• Sales to children under 18 - it is illegal to sell tobacco products to any person under the age of 18, even if they are for someone else, including their parents.
• Plain packs - all cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco must be sold in standardised plain packaging with big health warnings.
• Pack sizes - 10 packs are banned, the minimum pack size of cigarettes is 20. The smallest hand rolling tobacco pack is 30 grammes.
• Flavours - cigarettes and tobacco with flavourings, including menthol, are banned. For more information, see Journal of trading standards: Menthol cigarette ban.
• Sales of single cigarettes - cigarettes must be sold in their original packaging and packs should not be opened and cigarettes sold individually.
• Selling cigarette vending machines - the sale of tobacco from vending machines is banned
• Bans on advertising
• The display of tobacco products in shops

Traders must display this statutory notice next to tobacco products: 

"It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18."

Fines for breaking the law

Any retailers convicted of breaking the law could be fined, face imprisonment, or both.

Traders who sell cigarettes and other tobacco products to people under the age of 18 could be prosecuted and face fines up to £2,500.

The maximum fine for selling loose cigarettes or not displaying the required notice is £1000.

Anyone caught selling cigarettes in vending machines could be fined of £2,500.

However prosecution is always the last resort for Trading Standards who will be working with businesses to make sure the rules are complied with.