Village pubs' anger over cigarette machine ban

Rural pubs have slammed new government plans which could see a blanket ban on cigarette vending machines.

The proposals come as part of a five-year cancer strategy aimed at cutting down on the disease by encouraging people to change their lifestyles.

Launching the strategy, Health Secretary Alan Johnson said a consultation on the proposal would take place next spring, with the possibility of reducing cigarette displays in shops and a look again at packaging on cigarettes also on t agenda.

Licensees from village pubs have reacted with dismay to the news, with many protesting that their pubs' machines are the only place residents can buy cigarettes.

Andy Brooks of the Laughing Fish in Isfield, East Sussex said: "A ban would be seriously detrimental as the machine is a service to the village.

"If you take away the only reasonable source for cigarettes for the village it really is a step too far by government"

Michael Willis, licensee of the Tite Inn in Chadlington, Oxfordshire added: "Why does the government punish alcohol and cigarettes all the time? I don't think banning vending machines will help one iota"

The vending machine industry, meanwhile, has contested the government's claim that machines are a source of cigarettes for under-18s. Paul Mair, marketing director of Cherwell Group said: "Cigarette vending accounts for 0.9 per cent of total cigarette sales, so the reality is that young people are not primarily getting their cigarettes from machines.

"My opinion is the government are using this as a way to look responsible, but the reality is they'll achieve nothing."

To find out more about the strategy visit www.dh.gov.uk