SHOPS which allow under-age smokers to buy cigarettes face being exposed as a new blitz on tobacco sales is launched in York.

Residents throughout the city will be encouraged to blow the whistle on traders who break the law – and any businesses caught doing so could face a fine running into thousands of pounds.

Funded by the Department of Health, the City of York Council-run awareness campaign will see posters going on display asking parents and young people in York to report cases of tobacco being illegally sold to under-18s.

And the initiative is set to be followed by a fresh salvo of test purchase operations carried out by the authority’s trading standards department, with any tip-offs gathered during the campaign likely to be used to target shops which fail to follow the rules.

The posters will be put up in youth centres, secondary schools, libraries and community centres across York and will include information on where cases of illegal tobacco sales should be reported to.

As of October 2007, the age limit for buying tobacco has been raised from 16 to 18 and includes cigarettes, cigars, rolling tobacco and papers.

“It is important we give parents and young people information on who they should contact to report illegal tobacco sales,” said Coun Ann Reid, the council’s executive member for neighbourhood services.

“The trading standards department at the council already carries out campaigns to combat under-age tobacco sales and I am pleased that the most recent programme of test purchases resulted in no illegal sales.

“However, we are not complacent and this new campaign will allow us to continue to identify retailers who flout the law. In this day and age, I don’t think there is any excuse for sales being made to those who are under-age.

“We don’t want to be encouraging people to start smoking at a young age, because the earlier they start, the harder it can be for them to break the habit. This will be an awareness campaign to ensure retailers are following the guidelines, but regular test-purchasing operations will also continue.”

The maximum fine for selling tobacco to under-18s is £2,500, and trading standards officials say they will also give any businesses found guilty of breaching the law help and advice on appropriate retailing.

“One of the aims of this campaign is to ensure our message is getting across,” said Colin Rumford, the council’s head of trading standards.

“It will run until at least the end of March but may continue longer, and we urge anybody who has concerns about a particular retailer to let us know.”