Half of shopkeepers sell tobacco to adults buying on kids’ behalf

One in two shopkeepers have sold tobacco to adults who were buying on behalf of children, a survey by the Tobacco Retailers Alliance has found.

Half of the 1,062 retailers questioned in the survey claimed they were aware of proxy purchasing in their shops.

The Tobacco Retailers Alliance repeated its calls for Westminster to follow Scotland's lead and outlaw proxy purchasing in light of the latest results.

Under current legislation, it is illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under 18. However, it is only in Scotland that adults face prosecution for buying cigarettes for minors.

"At the moment, the retailer doesn't want to sell to underage customers, but if someone comes in to buy on behalf of a 15-year-old, they can't stop them," said a TRA spokesman. "There's nothing illegal about the situation."

He added that retailers did not think young people should smoke, but said they were under enough pressure without acting as guardians.

The figure was worst in the South East, where 60% of retailers reported adults legally buying tobacco for under 18s.

Sixty per cent of retailers also claimed they were aware of smuggled or counterfeit tobacco being sold in their area. The TRA said smugglers were attracted to the UK by high taxes "out of kilter" with the rest of Europe. "They aim to undercut retailers by half, and they find the best margin for that in the UK," it said.