From 1 January 2027 no shop may sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. The city's 13% smoking rate is the South East's highest, says the council.

From 1 January 2027 it will be illegal for any shop in Brighton & Hove to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, and the council’s trading standards team says it will spend the next 100 days visiting retailers before it starts enforcing. Brighton & Hove City Council marked the start of the countdown on Wednesday 24 September.

The change comes from the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. The age of sale then rises by one year every year, so that nobody born in 2009 or later can ever legally be sold tobacco in the UK.

The local numbers

The council says 13 per cent of adults in Brighton & Hove smoke. That is close to the England average, but the council says it is the highest rate in the South East among upper-tier local authorities, the county and unitary councils that run public health.

The release also cites two survey figures:

  • 66 per cent of people in the South East support the smokefree generation law
  • 74 per cent of people who have ever smoked say that, if they could go back, they would not have started

Nationally, the council says the policy is expected to protect around 4 million young people from tobacco within five years.

Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 in Brighton and Hove: key dates. 11 August 2026, GOV.UK guidance for retailers published. 24 September 2026, council starts the 100-day countdown; trading standards visits begin. 29 October 2026, first measures start, including vape and nicotine product rules and a vending machine ban. 1 January 2027, no sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. Penalties: £200 fixed penalty, £100 if paid early; up to £2,500 on conviction.
Graphic by The Brighton Times
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What shops have to do

The government’s guidance for retailers, published on 11 August 2026, sets out the rules that trading standards will apply:

  • from 1 January 2027, no sale of tobacco products, herbal smoking products or cigarette papers to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009
  • that covers cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco, cigars and cigarette papers, among other products listed in the guidance
  • customers “should expect to show ID if they are asked to prove they are above the age of sale”
  • a fixed penalty notice for a breach is £200 in England, reduced to £100 for early payment, issued by trading standards, according to the fixed penalty guidance
  • the maximum fine on conviction is level 4 on the standard scale, currently £2,500

The GOV.UK guidance collection says a first set of measures under the Act starts earlier, on 29 October 2026, covering the sale of vaping and nicotine products and a ban on vending machines.

What the council will do

The council says its trading standards officers will be out in the city over the next 100 days “supporting businesses, ensuring that they are ready to implement the changes”. After 1 January they will carry out enforcement checks.

Councillor Mitchie Alexander, the Cabinet member for Communities, Equalities, Public Health and Adult Social Care, said in the release: “At the start of the new year, we will take a historic step towards a future where children growing up in Brighton & Hove will never face the same risk of tobacco addiction as previous generations.”

She added: “With just 100 days to go, retailers, local authorities and enforcement agencies must work together to prepare for these changes.”

Shops wanting advice can email the council at trading.standards@brighton-hove.gov.uk, according to the release.

What it means for you

  • If you were born in 2009 or later: from 1 January you cannot legally be sold cigarettes, rolling tobacco, cigars or cigarette papers anywhere in the UK, and that will not change when you turn 18. Buying is not the offence. Selling to you is.
  • If you were born in 2008 or earlier: nothing changes for you, but expect to be asked for ID more often. Shops face a £200 penalty for a wrong sale, so they will check anyone who looks close to the line.
  • If you run a shop that sells tobacco: the GOV.UK retailer guidance is the document trading standards will hold you to. Update till prompts and staff training before January, and ask the council’s team now while the visits are advisory.
  • If you sell vapes: the earlier date matters. The guidance collection puts the first vaping and nicotine measures at 29 October 2026, three months before the tobacco change.
  • If you smoke: the law does not touch you if you were born before 2009, but the council’s stated aim is prevention, and its own figure of 13 per cent is the highest in the region. Its public health pages carry the local stop-smoking services.

Sources