Member Article

Schools encouraged to join Stop Cigs for Kids

Communities across Rotherham are being urged to report people selling illegal tobacco to children.

In addition, other measures are being considered to immediately address the problem, including the Director of Public Health working with local schools to make them aware of the issue and to warn parents.

Intelligence gathered by the Stop Cigs for Kids campaign, which is jointly funded by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Sheffield City Council and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, suggests schoolchildren are key customers for cheap illegal cigarette traders.

Stop Cigs for Kids is a joint campaign by the three authorities to tackle the harmful effects of tobacco use in South Yorkshire.

The three councils, Trading Standards Services and the police are using the information gathered about illicit tobacco sales to crack down on the illegal tobacco trade.

Schools are being informed that traders may be selling illicit tobacco – which can cost as little as £3 per pack – to children and urged them to make parents aware.

Dr Tony Baxter, Director of Public Health at Rotherham MBC, said: “We are aware that there is illegal tobacco being sold across South Yorkshire and that in some instances this is being offered to children to buy, making it easy for them to get hold of cigarettes and become addicted to smoking.

“That is why we launched this campaign at www.stopcigsforkids.co.uk and went out into the community to speak to people. The assistance we have received from the public in identifying where illicit tobacco is being sold is helping us to combat the problem effectively.

“People have been approaching our staff and reporting via the website that these products are being sold from houses, shops and even cars on the street outside or just a few hundred yards from schools in some cases.”

There have been 75 reports of illicit tobacco sales by members of the public since the campaign was launched

Stop Cigs for Kids identified that 32 locations reported to them as selling illegal cigarettes were located within a mile of 27 primary and secondary schools, academies or student accommodation across South Yorkshire.

Some were less than 500m from the school gates.

Illegal cigarette traders are unregulated and sell to anyone with the money to buy. This includes school pupils, making it easier for them to buy cigarettes for pocket money prices.

Rotherham MBC and Trading Standards Officers deliver enforcement activity to reduce the availability and supply of cheap and illicit tobacco, responding to intelligence reports and routine searches in high smoking prevalence and hot spot areas.

“According to the World Health Organisation the long-term health consequences of youth smoking are reinforced by the fact that most young people who smoke continue to smoke throughout adulthood, increasing the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and can reduce life expectancy by on average seven years,” said Dr Baxter.

“We would encourage anyone who knows who is selling these illegal cigarettes or who knows where they are being sold to visit www.stopcigsforkids.co.uk or call CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 and anonymously and confidentially report it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Minchin .