MPs have supported an amendment to the Health Bill which could see cigarette vending machines banned from pubs and bars.

The proposal, by Labour MP Ian McCartney, has now passed to the House of Lords for approval before becoming law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own separate bill. McCartney, MP for Makerfield, said that tobacco was "still the only product in Britain that can be sold legally, which routinely kills and injures its customers" and that the machines were an "outrageous loophole in our country's safeguards to prevent thousands of children suffering illness and premature death."

The move has been welcomed by anti-smoking campaigners, although pub industry bodies claim that the measures are unnecessary, pointing out that vending machines are well supervised and already subject to tough legislation. MPs also voted to ban the display of tobacco products in shops, despite opposition from the Conservatives who said that it could cause further problems for retailers already hard hit by the effects of the recession.