1 IN 4 SHOPS SELL CIGGIES TO CHILDREN; Watchdogs' probe sparks anger.

Byline: By Ben Spencer

ONE in four shops sell cigarettes to children, it was claimed yesterday.

Trading standards teams sent kids as young as 14 into 800 stores around Scotland to buy ciggies.

And 24 per cent of shopkeepers handed over the fags. That's despite the minimum age for buying them having been raised from 16 to 18 in 2007.

Anti-smoking group Ash slammed the results.

Chief executive Sheila Duffy said: "Tobacco industry funded retailers groups tell us no change of the law is needed. But eight out of 10 15-year-old smokers say they buy their cigarettes from shops."

Renfrewshire was the worst area for underage sales, with two-thirds of shops selling to under 18s.

In Dundee and Edinburgh, almost half were caught breaking the law.

The Scottish government have allocated pounds 1.5million to ackle illegal sales of tobacco and enforce tobacco sale law.

Shopkeepers who break the law also face on-the-spot fines and being barred from selling cigarettes under proposed legislation to be launched this spring.

And several councils have also pledged to launch new test purchasing schemes to crack down on rogue stores.

David Thompson, chairman of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland, said he feared some councils and stores would "let up on the message".

He added: "Where there are sustained efforts within the council over proof-of-age schemes and test purchasing, you see the trend of selling cigarettes to children coming down."

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CONCERNS: Over fags