ANDOVER schoolchildren are above the national average for smoking one or more cigarettes a week.
A survey carried out in the town's three secondary schools uncovered the shocking statistic that 26 per cent of pupils aged 11 to 15 smoked daily - three per cent above the national average for the age group throughout England.
Cigarettes are apparently easily available to the schoolchildren. Some 62 per cent of Andover 14 to 15-year-olds said they felt they could easily buy cigarettes if they wanted to.
Their cash contributes to a huge market. Nationwide, some £100 million worth of cigarettes are sold to under-age customers.
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