A SHOPKEEPER is facing a bill of more than £1,300 after pleading guilty to selling cigarettes to a minor.

Swindon Magistrates fined Daksesh Patel, the co-owner of Fred's supermarket in Penhill, £600 for the offence and awarded costs of £731.50 under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 as amended by the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991.

The prosecution was brought by Swindon Council's Trading Standards Team following an undercover survey.

As part of the survey an under-age volunteer was sold a pack of 20 Benson and Hedges cigarettes by the store.

The shop assistant who made the illegal sale and the store's other co-owner had previously accepted formal cautions in relation to the offence.

The girl, who was aged 14 on the date of the offence, was under the watchful eyes of undercover Trading Standards officers during the sale.

Swindon Trading Standards has for some time carried out such operations in an attempt to stop the illegal sale of cigarettes to young people under the age of 16.

Officers also work with businesses in the town to help them prevent under-age sales and offer the CitizenCard proof-of-age card free to all young people aged 18 or under in Swindon.

Trading Standards group leader Robert Taylour said: "Clearly the sale of cigarettes to children has implications for the health of the young person.

"The organisation, Action On Smoking and Health statistics show that 450 children start smoking in the UK every day.

"And smoking during the teenage years causes permanent genetic changes in the lungs and forever increases the risk of lung cancer, even if the smoker subsequently stops smoking.

"We all agree that assessing age is a difficult task and it is for this reason that Swindon Trading Standards section promotes the CitizenCard proof of age scheme.

"To ensure that costly mistakes aren't made, I would advise operating a 'No Proof No Sale' policy for anyone who appears to be under 21."

Giles Sheldrick