Plans to ban smoking outside schools and hospitals

The government is to ditch plans to ban smoking in the gardens of pubs and restaurants in England.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he didn't want to cause further harm to the hospitality industry, adding that "people don't want to see their high streets going down the pan".

But the government is considering plans to make it illegal to smoke in children's playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals, although there is little detail on how that would be measured or policed.

The main focus of the updated Tobacco and Vapes Bill is to create a smokefree generation across the UK by making it illegal for anyone currently aged 15 or under to ever buy cigarettes.

A ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes from next June in England and Wales has already been announced.

With youth vaping on the rise, this move is aimed at clamping down on children getting hooked on nicotine by buying cheap, brightly-coloured vapes.

Under the new Bill, the government now has powers to restrict vape flavours, displays and packaging.

And it is considering banning vaping in some outdoor areas too, although some health experts are warning against such a move, saying it's a confusing message.

"We have to focus on the immense harms to health caused by tobacco smoking and avoid putting people off switching to less harmful alternatives, such as vaping," said Prof Caitlin Notley, professor of addiction sciences at the University of East Anglia.

This could unintentionally increase levels of tobacco smoking, she added.

The NHS says quitting smoking for vaping reduces the risk of dying from a number of diseases, including cancer, heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Cigarettes contain tobacco which releases thousands of harmful chemicals when burned.

A licensing scheme for shops is also in the plans, which means all retailers would need a licence in order to sell tobacco, vape and nicotine products in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. On-the-spot fines of £200 for retailers could be handed out for those selling to under-18s or stocking unregulated products.

The vaping industry said it welcomed the move, adding it was "a victory for law-abiding businesses" and would "stop rogue traders in their tracks from selling to minors and establishing a lucrative black market".

A registration system for retailers selling these products has been in place in Scotland since 2017.

All the proposals will all be open to public debate over the next six months.

Health charities have welcomed the government's plans.

Action on Smoking and Health said they would help create a country where young people would never start smoking but the charity warned that the government still needed to set out how to help the UK's six million smokers to quit.

"This will require a properly funded plan, paid for by a levy on tobacco companies,” said the charity's chair, Prof Nick Hopkinson.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, British Heart Foundation chief executive, said she welcomed the government's commitment to protect children and vulnerable people from second-hand smoke in schools, playgrounds and hospital grounds.

"We also welcome measures to make vaping less appealing to young people," she said.

Cancer Research UK said the risks of passive smoking were well-established and it supported the government's plan to create smokefree places.

Additional reporting by Jacqueline Howard.