DOZENS of shops have sold cigarettes to children in the last year, according to new figures from Glasgow City Council.

The local authority runs a 'test purchasing' scheme where young volunteers attempt to buy tobacco products.

The teenagers have targeted 225 shops since April 2013 and staff at 38 stores handed over cigarettes without asking for proof of age.

Strict tobacco laws mean no one under 18 should be sold cigarettes in Scotland.

Shop workers who break the law can face financial penalties and be banned from selling tobacco products.

A report by the Executive Director of Land and Environmental Services, which is expected to be rubber stamped by councillors on Wednesday, January 21, said: "In order to test whether or not businesses are complying with the age restriction on the sale of tobacco products, the service has a number of young volunteers.

"Under the supervision of staff, the volunteers attempt to purchase cigarettes. If a sale takes place, a fixed penalty notice is issued to the vendor.

"During the current financial year, 225 test purchase attempts have been made.

"Of those, 38 attempts resulted in the sale of cigarettes to the underage volunteer and the sellers were issued with fixed penalty notices."

The figures mean 17% of shops failed the test purchasing sting, down from 21% in 2011/12.

The report described the failure rate as "high" but noted that the figure "is an improvement".

Retailers are given four weeks to pay on the spot fines or they face further action.

A council spokesman said: "If the fixed penalty notice is not paid within 28 days, a report may be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."

The report which will go to the Health and Social Care Policy Development Committee also reveals that a dozen businesses were reported to the fiscal in the last four years.

The report stated: "Since the introduction of the fixed penalty regime in April 2011, 12 businesses have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal having failed to pay the notice.

"The outcomes of which have fines including a national supermarket chain."

Councillors will be asked to "note the report and the work being carried out by Land and Environmental Services to prevent young people purchasing tobacco products".