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Health campaigners welcome House of Lords votes

May 10 2009 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

HEALTH campaigners have praised the House of Lords for voting to stub out cigarette displays in shops.

The Lords agreed rows of cigarettes behind store counters were a temptation for children and must go, a move which has been welcomed by Fresh – the campaign for a smoke free North East, and more than 100 other charities.

New age restrictions will also be slapped on cigarette vending machines, to help prevent children accessing an easy source of tobacco.

The vote comes two weeks after the Sunday Sun revealed how child smokers were pleading for counter displays to be hidden and cigarette vending machines to be banned from pubs in a bid to help them kick the habit.

Fresh commended the Lords decision on shop counters, but had hoped for a complete ban on vending machines, having shown that children were able to buy from machines in amusement arcades, pubs and bowling alleys in 61 out of 99 cases across the North, and that adults rarely use them.

Ailsa Rutter, Fresh director, said: “Nearly 10,000 people from the North East, including many smokers, have told us they want more restrictions on tobacco advertising to make smoking history for children.

“Smoking is a serious childhood addiction as most start before they reach 18.

“It’s to their credit that the Lords has listened and put the health of our children first.”

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