Sunbed ban for under-18s introduced

Young people will be stopped from using sunbeds in places such as tanning salons, beauty shops, leisure centres, gyms and hotels.

They will also be prevented from entering an area reserved for sunbed users.

The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 comes into force after research published earlier this week showed more than two people under the age of 35 are diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer every day in the UK.

Under the new rules for England, which take effect from today, businesses will not be forced to ask for ID or keep a register of customers.

Instead, it will be up to local authorities to decide how to check businesses are complying with the law, such as unannounced spot checks or pre-planned visits.

Councils will also have powers to react to concerns from members of the public about under-age users.

However, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health said the ban did not go far enough and called for similar measures to those in Wales, including banning unsupervised tanning machines.