'Family' trap for underage cig sales
Licensees are being caught out by new-style entrapment tactics employed by trading standards officers to target underage tobacco sales.
Officers are taking young children into pubs, posing as families, and encouraging them to buy cigarettes from vending machines.
Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations (FLVA) chief executive Tony Payne said several cases had been uncovered in Yorkshire, with a number of licensees being caught out.
Payne criticised the methods being adopted by trading standards and said using children to buy cigarettes in a "family environment" was a worrying trend.
"Any licensee seeing children enter a pub accompanied by adults would reasonably assume they were under the responsible control of parents.
"If children appear to be members of a bona fide family you would not expect the parents to encourage them to buy cigarettes.
"I find these sorts of tactics worrying and I am warning licensees to be on their guard," he said.
Payne is urging hosts to ensure that cigarette vending machines are clearly visible from the bar to allow maximum supervision.
The FLVA chief cited one case in North Yorkshire where children got cigarettes from a machine in the back room of a pub within minutes of entering the premises accompanied by adults who turned out to be trading standards officers.
He revealed that the licensee in question now faced possible prosecution for underage selling.
A Trading Standards Institute spokesman expressed surprise at the claims, saying test purchases are carried out under guidance from local government co-ordinator Lacors.
