Menthol cigarettes have been banned in the UK from May 20 with West Country smokers looking for alternatives to the flavoured cigarettes.

The South West has a high number of menthol smokers with Bristol, once the base for Europe’s biggest cigarette factory, having a high per centage of smokers, but new research has revealed that over a quarter of them will be surprised to find they can’t buy a pack from now on.

The EU ban has been brought in to deter young people from taking up smoking as many believe mistakenly that menthol cigarettes are less harmful than so-called “straights”.

The EU ban will hit 1.3 million menthol smokers in the UK making it one of the biggest changes ever in smoking habits in the UK. Newsagents are also concerned that the ban will affect revenue. 

A third of all menthol smokers are likely to switch to a new alternative following the ban according to new research by Populus, commissioned by Philip Morris Limited (PML).

Over 500 menthol smokers took part in the research which asked a series of questions to gauge how they are likely to respond after the ban comes into force.

Responding to a question as to what action they would take after the ban, a third of respondents indicated that it is ‘likely’ they would switch to an alternative like menthol heated tobacco products or menthol flavoured vapes (both unaffected by the ban).

This would mean roughly 420,000 smokers switching overnight, signalling the biggest increase in smokers switching to alternatives since 2015. 

Some 17% of respondents – the equivalent to roughly 220,000 menthol smokers – were either ‘very likely’ (4%) or ‘fairly likely’ (13%) to quit smoking completely. 

The Populus research also found that over a quarter (26%) remained unaware of the impending ban. 

“The menthol cigarette ban is a significant moment for many smokers in the South West and across the country,” said Peter Nixon, Managing Director of Philip Morris Limited, the maker of the IQOS heated tobacco product. “Our message is clear: quitting is best but if not possible then alternatives, like menthol heated tobacco or menthol flavoured vapes are good choices for menthol smokers and definitely a better option than continuing to smoke.”