Government plans to remove cigarette vending machines from pubs have come under fire from Bradford licensees.

The move would also see a ban on tobacco products being displayed at cornershops and supermarkets in an attempt to limit children's access to cigarettes.

But the proposals have prompted fears it will simply force the products beneath the counter. And pubs in the district have hit back, saying children should not be in their establishments in the first place.

David Haigh, honorary president of the Bradford Inner City Licensees' Association, told the Telegraph & Argus: "It's just another indication of the nanny state we live in. Children shouldn't even be in pubs in the first place. They'll be making smoking illegal next, but the only reason they don't is because of the money they claw in from it."

"I don't suppose it will affect trade that much, as there should be nothing stopping pubs selling cigarettes from under the bar," said Mr Haigh, who runs Haigy's in Lumb Lane, Manningham. "I would like to know how many children actually buy cigarettes in pubs."

Paul Corke, the licensee of the Shoulder of Mutton, Kirkgate, said: "I think its absolutely diabolical. Our cigarette machine is right in front of the bar and if anyone underage was trying to use it we would have something to say about it.

"Are they going to stop us advertising what beer we sell next?"

The Department of Health has drawn up the proposals in a bid to prevent children from taking up the habit. Measures which make it easier to sell nicotine replacement gums and patches will also be on the table.

The proposals follow the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places last July, while the the minimum age of sale was increased from 16 to 18 last October. And, from this October, new explicit picture warnings must be printed on tobacco products in addition to the written cautions.

Ministers believe someone who starts smoking at 15 is three times more likely to die of cancer due to smoking than someone who starts in their late twenties.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Children who smoke are putting their lives at risk and are more likely to die of cancer than people who start smoking later.

"It's vital we get across the message to children that smoking is bad. If that means stripping out vending machines or removing cigarettes from behind the counter, I'm willing to do that."

According to the latest figures the proportion of adults who now smoke has dropped by two per cent to 22 per cent. Around 165,000 smokers quit between April and September last year - an increase of 28 per cent compared with the same period the previous year.

The Government has set a target of reducing the proportion of smokers in England to 21 per cent by 2010.

e-mail: jo.winrow @telegraphandargus.co.uk

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