From Wednesday 20 May the sale of menthol cigarettes was made illegal in the UK.

The law change was announced last month, and comes as part of new EU Tobacco Product Directive laws.

Skinny cigarettes are also being outlawed.

It is hoped the moved will help deter younger people from taking up smoking.

Menthol filters are not being banned, but it will be illegal to sell them packaged with tobacco or cigarettes.

However it will still be legal to purchase menthol filters and hand-rolling tobacco if they are packaged separately.

The ban makes it illegal to both manufacture and sell menthol cigarettes, as well as capsule, click on, click and roll, crushball and dual menthol cigarettes.

The ban does not apply to heated tobacco products or e-cigarette products.

There is no sell through period, which means retailers must have sold any remaining stock of menthol cigarettes by 20 May 2020.

The UK’s exit from the European Union does not impact the introduction of the menthol ban.

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Retailers are still allowed to sell cigarettes described as “green” or with similar names to a previous menthol product as long as the cigarettes themselves do not contain any menthol.

If there is any confusion about which cigarettes products may or may not contain menthol, retailers should ask their tobacco supplier.

There are concerns that menthol cigarettes encourage both younger smokers and new smokers, as they relax the airwaves and make it easier to inhale.

Some consider them to be healthier, but there is no evidence to suggest this is the case.

Before 20 May it was already illegal to sell menthol cigarettes in packs of more than 20, but they are now banned altogether.

It follows a four-year rolling project aimed at tightening the regulations on the types of tobacco and other cigarette products.

The move comes as part of long-term ambitions for parts of the UK to be smoke-free by 2030.

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