ACS

A campaign led by the British Heart Foundation to ban cigarette vending machines has gained a significant victory, after the Houses of Parliament voted for a full ban on cigarette vending machines in England.

The government had previously been in favour of restricting the use of vending machines, but the British Heart Foundation considered this to be insufficient and pushed for a full ban.

The strongest concerns around cigarette vending machines surrounded the ease with which children were able to purchase cigarettes without threat of being identified. Businesses that contained vending machines were not able to adequately regulate and monitor the people who were using them, giving rise to many under-age purchases.

Peter Hollins, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation, said: "The Commons must be congratulated on voting to make cigarette vending machines extinct in the face of tobacco lobbyists who are intent on making addicts of a new generation of youngsters. For too long vending machines have been an easy source of cigarettes for children and a gateway to a lifetime of addiction and future heart disease. This policy must now be carried out across the UK to protect children's heart health."

The ban will come into force on 1 October 2011, with the government due to produce guidance on the new regulations in the coming year.