An Aberdeen-based shop owner is thought to have become the first in Scotland to be fined for having cigarettes on open display.
The £200 fixed penalty notice was issued when officers from Aberdeen City Council’s Trading Standards service visited the shop following a complaint in April.
Under Scottish Government legislation, shops are not allowed to openly display tobacco products with mass retailers like supermarkets imposing the ban in April 2013.
But smaller shops, like newsagents and tobacconists, were given until April last year to comply.
It is understood that the Aberdeen shop was a small retailer.
Despite having issued a previous warning, the officers discovered several shelves containing packets of cigarettes in full view of customers.
Aberdeen City Council trading standards manager Graeme Paton said: “The aim of covering tobacco displays is to protect children from the promotion of tobacco products – it’s one of many measures introduced to try and reduce the appeal of smoking to young people.
“While compliance with the new law has been very high in Aberdeen, there have only been a few instances where cigarettes have been on open view. Usually advice is all that is needed but sometimes we need to issue a fixed penalty notice.”
Trading standards officers now have the power to issue fixed penalties ranging from £150 to more than £1,000 depending on the circumstances. Failure to pay can result in a report going to the procurator fiscal.
Last night the chief executive of anti-smoking group ASH Scotland Sheila Duffy welcomed the fine.
She said: “These products are lethal to one in two of their consumers so we welcome this enforcement action by Aberdeen council.”
