As a result of his conviction and sentencing, Heaney was banned from being the director of a limited company for 15 years as a judge said he was “no longer a fit and proper person to be a director’

A Derry-born accountant narrowly avoided immediate custody over a six-figure tax scam.

James Joseph Heaney, 56, now of St Michael’s Close, Finchley in London, was handed a 40-month sentence suspended for three years.

He had previously pleaded guilty to cheating the public revenue out of Income Tax, VAT and Corporation Tax, fraudulently claiming tax credit and fraud by false representation.

Heaney further admitted making or supplying articles for use in fraud and two counts of possessing articles in connection with fraud.

The offences were committed on dates between April 6, 2013 and November 19, 2020.

As a result of his conviction and sentencing, Heaney was banned from being the director of a limited company for 15 years as a judge said he was “no longer a fit and proper person to be a director”.

Belfast Crown Court heard that over a decade ago, Heaney, then of Spruce Meadows in Derry, was prosecuted by HM Revenue & Customs in relation to a £70,000 VAT, tax credit and mortgage fraud, codenamed ‘Operation Honeyman’.

In October 2015, he was jailed for six months for the fraud following a further six months on supervised licence on his release from custody.

The court heard that following his sentence, financial confiscation proceedings took place and he was adjudicated to owe £111,245.78p and Heaney made an arrangement with HMRC to repay the money in full.

In April 2018, Heaney paid by cheque the sum of £55,245,78p to the finance branch of the NI Courts Service.

However, within a week he contacted them to say that he had stopped the cheque and then made a further payment for the same amount to the finance branch on a debit card.

It was the prosecution case that there was suspicion around these “strange transactions” and that he had cancelled the original cheque in order to conceal the source of his funds which was a new Barclays bank account.

The prosecution believed that not only did he want to conceal this from HMRC, but he also wanted to conceal his association with Insignia Finance Ltd.

As a result of these suspicions, Operation Honeyman became Operation Hex in March 2017 and a financial investigation was started.

It revealed that Heaney was receiving payments from clients into his bank account in the name of Insignia Financial Ltd.

He was questioned about this but made no comment. The investigation continued and it “established beyond any doubt” his connection with Insignia Finance Ltd.

It also “established beyond any doubt” his criminality in relation to claiming tax credits and failing to fully account for profits he was making.

The prosecution stated: “Since James Heaney’s previous conviction under Operation Honeyman, he has failed to submit accurate details of his self employed incomes as an accountant.

“Nor has he submitted any corporation tax accounts for Insignia Financial Ltd.

“It is believed from the outset of these investigations James Heaney has been submitting false self-assessment returns for himself.

“Banking material obtained shows a regular income into his bank account and he has failed to accurately declare his income to HMRC.

“It is believed James Heaney has failed to declare income for the tax years April 2013 through to April 2019.

“The sums assessed that somewhere in around £389,850 was owed from the fraud.”

Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin said that earlier this week Heaney was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and the defendant was awaiting a prognosis from his consultant.

During his sentencing remarks, Judge Neil Rafferty KC said: “I am satisfied that the defendant continued the criminality after the previous detection and I have to regard that as a significant aggravating factor.”

Judge Rafferty said he noted from the pre-sentence report that Heaney’s wife of 22 year was almost totally dependent on him because of a number of debilitating health conditions.

He stated that he would also factor into his sentencing the recent MS diagnosis by the defendant.

Judge Rafferty said that “not without some degree of hesitation and some degree of hesitation”, he had decided to suspend the 40 month sentence for a period of three years.

He told Heaney: “If you commit any further offence, particularly an offence of dishonesty, you will go to jail for that offence and this sentence of 40 months will be put into operation.

“I will have no hesitation, wife or not, of sending to you to jail for as long as I can.”

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The atmosphere should be filled with hope and excitement. However, when it comes to transfers, United supporters are starting to get twitchy. The Reds wasted no time in agreeing a deal for Ederson from Atalanta before looking to replace Casemiro.

Elliot Anderson was their priority but United hit two brick walls. The England international was set on moving to Manchester City and his £116m price tag was deemed too steep. Next on the list was Mateus Fernandes. West Ham’s midfielder was more attainable but the east London club were adamant on his valuation.

United waited to see if they would budge. Eventually, West Ham didn’t have to as Tottenham Hotspur agreed to pay £85m. This has left the Reds scrambling as they prepare to return for pre-season without Casemiro’s replacement.

One of the names on United’s shortlist is Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni. He is seen as the dream signing for the Reds and, speaking to MEN Sport, LaLiga Expert editor Mark Sochon explained why.

“I think his main strengths are his physicality, [he is] tall, strong,” Sochon explained. “He is very disciplined, disciplined positionally, and, also, he’s quite a versatile player.

“He can play in a single pivot, double pivot, he’s played a fair bit at centre back as well, although I don’t think it’s necessarily his best position, but he’s absolutely useful there as sort of a back-up. I think back to his height in defending set pieces too, he’s pretty good at that as well.”

While Tchouameni would be seen as a replacement for Casemiro, Sochon considers the Frenchman to be an altogether different player.

“He’s not necessarily a player who’s going to dive into lots of challenges, but he’s strong,” he explained. “I think he’s a player maybe managers appreciate more than fans, if that makes sense. He doesn’t have those blockbuster moments, so he’s not really going to pop up with a last-minute winner or make that kind of crunching tackle in the midfield, but he’s low-key.

“I think last season was probably his best season for Real Madrid, even though it’s a poor one for the team.”

Tchouameni had a well-publicised fallout with Federico Valverde last season that left the latter heading to the hospital. But Sochon was keen to stress that the 26-year-old is no troublemaker.

“I think my response to that [incident] would be, of the two players, it’s Valverde that’s certainly being seen as a bit more hot-headed,” he said. “He had a few kind of scraps in the past as well, not with teammates that have been public, but there’s been mumblings that he’s maybe not the most popular player in the dressing room.

“So my interpretation was that was more from him than from Tchouameni. I think the final months of the season was just a bit of a disaster around Real Madrid in general.

“There was another incident, a few days before that, with a couple of players kind of having a big confrontation; it just felt like the whole squad just fell apart in the end. I don’t think Tchouameni is seen as one of the ringleader characters that needs to be moved on though.”

And therein lies the problem for United: Sochon sees little reason to believe Real would want to sell Tchouameni.

While he admits a £100m bid may be too good to refuse, Sochon thinks new head coach Jose Mourinho would ideally want to sell Eduardo Camavinga before agreeing to Tchouameni’s exit. Perhaps most worryingly for United, he adds that this pursuit reminds him of another failed transfer the Reds would hate to see a repeat of.

“I see it a bit like when they went for Frenkie de Jong a couple of summers ago,” Sochon concluded. “He’s one of those players that it’d be difficult to get, but like we talked about before, maybe the scenario where a big offer comes in and Real Madrid think, you know what, we can take £100m, we can reinvest that and we can get three or four players in soon to improve the squad.

“I think there’ll still be a few doubters amongst the fanbase as to his importance. Last season was in the context of a team that was just a bit all over the place.

“But, I think it would take a really big offer from United and then it’s on Tchouameni. I don’t know how eager he is to leave Madrid, so I think it’s a difficult deal to pull off for United.”

The last thing United need is to be dragged into another transfer saga. Who knows what the remainder of the summer will bring, but Tchouameni might be a name best scratched off the list of targets.

Manchester United are in the market for a new midfielder this summer and Michael Carrick’s squad will need bolstering before the new season arrives

Manchester United’s squad is yet to be strengthened during this summer’s transfer window. However, a swift double deal appears to be imminent.

In his second spell as interim boss, Michael Carrick has steered his former club to a top-four finish, earning himself a permanent position as a reward for his efforts. He will embark on his first pre-season as manager next week.

Ederson is expected to complete his move to United in due course, though his £35million transfer from Atalanta will only be confirmed once Brazil’s World Cup 2026 campaign concludes.

A further midfielder is anticipated to join the club. The Manchester Evening News takes a look at the very latest transfer news surrounding Old Trafford.

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Double transfer

United are expected to sign Wales under-21 goalkeeper Kit Margetson from Swansea City. The 19-year-old is the son of former England goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson and a compensation fee is set to be required before bringing him to Carrington.

However, this transfer could develop into a double deal, as reports indicate that Margetson will be sent out on loan to an EFL club this summer in order to gain valuable first-team experience.

The shot-stopper joined Swansea at the under-15 level but is yet to make a senior appearance for the Welsh club. He spent a loan spell at Connah’s Quay Nomads during the 2025/26 season.

Midfield plan

Meanwhile, United’s pursuit of a top-class midfield signing continues after failing to secure either Elliot Anderson, who went to Manchester City, or Mateus Fernandes, who joined Tottenham.

Both Crystal Palace’s Wharton and Brighton’s Baleba have reportedly featured on the club’s shortlist for some time, though the pair may be overlooked in favour of an alternative target.

We understand that while Baleba attracted United’s interest last summer, there has been little progress in this window, as Brighton have refused to lower their £100m asking price despite an underwhelming campaign.

Regarding Wharton, the trail has gone even colder, with United considering the Palace midfielder too similar in style to Kobbie Mainoo to partner him effectively in a two-man midfield setup.

Bournemouth’s Alex Scott is now the club’s primary midfield target, while Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni has also attracted admiration for several months. Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha has a notable supporter in director of football Jason Wilcox, who previously worked with the player during his time in Manchester City’s academy. Read the full story here.

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A person is five times more lilely to be killed when hit by a vehicle at 30mph than at 20mph

A list of roads in Cambridge could see their speed limit reduced to 20mph. As part of a cross-Cambridge project, the new reduced speed limits are being proposed after 100 people were seriously injured across the routes over the last nine years.

The routes which are included for the new reduced limits include those which have received the most community support, as well as several known accident hotspots.

20mph limits are proposed for the following roads:

• Barton Road (from Grantchester Road to Kings Road)
• Brooklands Avenue
• Chesterton Lane
• Chesterton Road (Mitcham’s Corner to Magdalene Bridge)
• Coldhams Lane (Cromwell Road to Brook’s Road roundabout)
• Corona Road
• Croft Holme Lane (part of Mitcham’s Corner gyratory)
• East Road (and Grafton Centre service roads)
• Gonville Place
• Hills Road (Lensfield Road to Brooklands Avenue)
• Lensfield Road
• Milton Road (Mitcham’s Corner junction only)
• Newnham Road
• Northampton Street
• Queen’s Road
• Trumpington Road (Trumpington Street to Brooklands Avenue)
• Trumpington Street (Mill Lane to Trumpington Road)
• Victoria Avenue (Mitcham’s Corner junction)

A consultation is now open for locals to share their thoughts. It will run from July 1 to August 5.

Councillor Alex Beckett, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Highways & Transport Committee, said: “There are far too many deaths and injuries on our roads. It’s clear that 20mph limits can make a huge difference in improving safety especially for our most vulnerable road users – children.

“We’ve taken on feedback from the past engagement and have created a bespoke scheme for the city. The revised proposals focus on routes where over 100 people have suffered serious injuries since 2017 and where 20mph limits would make a big difference in keeping people safe.

“I urge everyone to let us know their thoughts on the proposals as part of this consultation so we can understand the views of local residents, businesses and community groups and then make the best decision for everyone.”

A person is around five times more likely to be killed if they are hit by a vehicle at 30mph than at 20mph. In parts of London, where 20mph speed limits have already been introduced, the number of children killed by crashes in these areas decreased by 75%. The number of children injured in crashes in these areas also reduced by half.

After the consultation, the results will be reviewed by road safety officers and councillors including the Cambridge Joint Area Committee. A decision on whether to go ahead with all, some or none of the proposals will be taken by the Highways & Transport Committee in the winter, with any changes to the roads made in early 2027.

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An 11-year-old boy crashed a truck into Buddhist monks on a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing 10 of them, officials said.

A group of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, approximately 600km northeast of Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage when the incident happened.

Five monks died at the scene, while five others died at a hospital. More than 10 were hospitalised and one remained in critical condition, according to the provincial administration.

The bodies were taken to Mukdahan Hospital as officials worked to contact relatives.

The group started the 260km walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.

Fourteen additional monks were hospitalised following the collision. The boy was in custody and police have said his parents may be charged with negligence.

The crash happened at roughly 11am on the Mukdahan-Don Tan Road near Ban Na Wiang Kae in Na Si Nuan subdistrict, Mueang district. The monks had just had a meal nearby, according to reports.

Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the truck crashes into them.

Map of the Mukdahan province:

The cause of the accident remains under investigation. However, police stated that monks present at the scene reported seeing the vehicle lose balance before it veered off the road and collided with the group.

Local reporting says Pol Col Prayut Rueanthongkham, superintendent of Mueang Mukdahan Police Station, was alerted by local residents that a vehicle had hit monks walking on a pilgrimage. Rescue workers from Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue, the Mukdahan Charity Foundation, Mukdahan Hospital and police were sent to the scene.

At the scene, officers found several injured monks by the roadside. Nearby was the suspected vehicle, a bronze Isuzu single-cab pickup truck.

Early reports say the pickup had been taken from the boy’s family home without permission.

Updates as we have them

Green Party votes have pushed through a decision to erect Irish and English dual language street signs at unionist parts of two North Belfast streets.

At the full monthly meeting of Belfast City Council on Wednesday, a committee decision to place Irish/English street signs only at nationalist parts of Donegall Park Avenue and Oldpark Road was reversed, as the Green Party became kingmakers in the full chamber. Both streets passed the required 15 percent occupier threshold for dual language signage to be erected.

Last month the council’s People and Communities Committee made decisions on so-called “long roads” on whether they should receive dual language signage along the full lengths of those streets, or at sections where it would be deemed “appropriate.”

READ MORE: DUP accuse Sinn Féin of “mental gymnastics” over Irish dual language street signs

READ MORE: Ban on rogue lockboxes being considered by Belfast City Council to stop party houses and clutter

On Oldpark Road, the committee unanimously decided to place Irish and English dual language street signs at “suitable” parts of the street. Donegall Park Avenue proved to be the most controversial, and on a tight vote pushed through by the DUP and Alliance, the committee decided to place Irish and English dual language street signs again only at certain “suitable” parts, that is, at nationalist sections of the street.

A decision on a third street, Skegoneill Avenue, was deferred until August.

However, at the full council meeting this week, the decisions on Donegall Park Avenue and Oldpark Road were reversed. A Sinn Féin proposal for both streets to receive signage along their full lengths received 31 votes in favour from Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Green Party and People Before Profit, to 25 votes against, from the DUP, Alliance, the UUP and TUV.

A Green Party proposal to erect Irish English signage at two streets in West Belfast, Caffrey Avenue and Glenwood View, was successful despite neither meeting the 15 percent threshold. On a vote 31 were in favour of the proposal, from Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Green Party and People Before Profit, while 25 voted against, from the DUP, Alliance, the UUP and TUV.

A Sinn Féin proposal to erect Irish English signage at Pilot Street, which did not reach the 15 percent threshold and received one objector, failed, with 28 votes in favour from Sinn Féin, the SDLP, and People Before Profit, to 29 votes against, from the DUP, Alliance, the UUP, TUV and the Green Party

Donegall Park Avenue, from the Antrim Road to the Castle Gardens junction, is considered a nationalist area, while Castle Gardens to the Shore Road would be considered a unionist area. In the survey for Donegall Park Avenue 74 occupiers, that is 36.10 percent of all occupiers in the whole street, were in favour of the erection of a second street name plate. 53 occupiers, that is 25.85 percent, were not in favour of the erection of a second street name plate. Over a third of the street did not reply.

At Oldpark Road, those sections at the top, from the junction of Ballysillan Road, and at the bottom, from the junction with Crumlin Road, are considered unionist areas, while the central section known as the “Bone” is considered nationalist. In the survey for Oldpark Road 136 occupiers, that is 17.99 percent of all occupiers in the whole street, were in favour of the erection of a second street name plate.

58 occupiers, that is 7.67 percent, were not in favour of the erection of a second street name plate. Five occupiers, 0.66 percent, had no preference either way, and the rest did not reply to the survey. Almost three quarters of the street did not reply.

The council’s dual language street sign policy states: “Consideration will be given to “long streets” where opinion on whether to have a second language street sign may differ between readily identifiable, substantial lengths of the street. In these circumstances, the decision as to the erection of dual language nameplates in certain portions of the street will be made by the committee, exercising its residual discretion and taking into account advice from officers.”

At the full council meeting this week, Sinn Féin Councillor Tomás Ó’Néill proposed erecting Irish and English dual language street signs for the full length of Donegall Park Avenue and Oldpark Road. He further proposed that Pilot street in the Sailortown area receive Irish English street signs, despite not meeting the 15 percent threshold, by using “discretionary” powers.

92 surveys were distributed at Pilot Street. There were 10 replies, nine of which were in favour, one in opposition, that amounts to 9.78 percent of the street in totality showing support for the new dual language signage.

Councillor Ó’Néill said: “Provision of these signs creates the opportunity for greater cultural linguistic diversity, and for people to engage with other languages and other cultures. If we continue to shy away into our own communities, it is in these dark holes where (negative) views are fostered.”

DUP Alderman Dean McCullough said in reference to Donegall Park Avenue: “If this proposal is carried tonight, I believe it will be a profoundly unwise decision. I fear it risks damaging community relations and creating entirely avoidable tension, in what is today a settled community.”

He added: “Anyone who knows Donegall Park Avenue knows it is exactly the type of street this policy was designed for. It is a long street, it is not homogenous, there are clearly identifiable sections with different views.”

He said: “I know the area well. The consultation demonstrated opinion differed markedly between the upper and lower sections of the avenue. Anyone that knows that avenue knows there is a vast difference, in terms of the desire for the Irish language at the top and the bottom.

“The sensible compromise is to provide signage where it is wanted, and not impose it where it is clearly not wanted. That respects both communities, it reflects the reality on the ground, and most importantly it is entirely consistent with the policy.”

Green party Councillor Áine Groogan said: “I think it is incredibly problematic to say that the Irish language is okay in certain parts of a street, but not okay elsewhere. It creates an incredibly dangerous precedent.”

She said: “I don’t understand where we start drawing a line between what is a long street, and what isn’t a long street, and how we divide it. That for me creates a lot more problems than just normalising and promoting the language for what it is.”

She said: “We need to put this beyond politics, and beyond designating an area as one community or another community. We are trying to get beyond that, and that is why the most logical and simplest approach is whenever a street in its entirety meets the policy threshold (to erect signage).”

Councillor Groogan proposed erecting Irish English dual language signage at Caffrey Avenue of the Glen Road in West Belfast, and Glenwood View, near Stewartstown Road in West Belfast. Both streets did not meet the threshold of 15 percent, but neither had any objections in the surveys. She said the Greens would not support new signage at Pilot Street, stating that the party’s approach to date was to use discretionary powers only when there is no opposition in the surveys.

Caffrey Avenue saw 162 surveys, of which there were only 24 replies, all in favour of Irish English signage. That amounted to 14.81 percent. Glenwood View saw 54 surveys, of which there were only seven replies, all in favour of Irish English signage That amounted to 12.96 percent.

DUP Councillor Sarah Bunting said at the meeting: “I am sick of talking about this every single month. But there is no consistency from the parties opposite. Every month they come up with a new way to try to rewrite the policies that they agreed, that they wrote, and that we didn’t agree to. Now they have decided they want to push even more at the unionist community.”

She proposed all the decisions at the People and Communities Committee in June, where it was decided new signage would only be placed in “appropriate” areas, to be ratified. This did not go to a vote after the successful Sinn Féin and Green Party proposals.

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A young man who has been told he has around a year to live after he began ‘seeing double’ has said he won’t let his shock diagnosis beat him.

Council worker Jack Rawding-Revell, from Hadfield, near Greater Manchester, was handed the news he had an inoperable glioblastoma after he was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital last month.

The 25-year-old had suffered vision loss for a number of weeks and began ‘seeing double’. He went to the opticians and was prescribed glasses which temporarily helped, before he then began violently vomiting at work and knew something was wrong.

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He called 111 and had a CT scan at Tameside hospital. He was then was rushed into Salford Royal Hospital for further tests and an operation to release pressure from his brain.

It was around a fortnight ago that he was called in and handed the news his condition was inoperable and would likely mean he had around a year left to live.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the Manchester United fan said: “It all started at the end of February when I started seeing double. I was seeing two cars on the road and all of a sudden I was like, what the hell?

“I didn’t think anything of it that deeply at the start. I’m 25-years-old. What fit and healthy person of my age thinks it would be anything other than needing to just go and get my eyes tested?

“I went to the opticians and got glasses. It helped for a bit, but then my eyes got worse and worse again. Then, I was in work about four weeks ago, and I started throwing up. I knew it wasn’t right.

“Looking back, I was sleeping all the time and was always knackered. I was coming home from work and then sleeping for 12 hours a night but was still struggling to get up for work.”

The scans were carried out at Tameside Hospital after Jack rang 111. He was then taken into Salford Royal Hospital after doctors confirmed a tumour lesion had been uncovered. The following day, pressure was released from his brain.

“They thought I was on my last legs so they rushed me in,” Jack said. “They thought they’d have to operate straight away but by the time I got to Salford, I was in a stable condition. There was a tumour on the back of my brain causing the build up of pressure. They took a biopsy on the tumour and about two weeks ago they rang me back and got me in.

“They told me there was no cure, but that they could treat and manage me as well as they could. It was a huge shock obviously at first. There was a lot of initial panic and worry about what was going on. You never expect it.”

It was then that Jack decided to document his journey on social media, posting regular videos and updates on his treatment. He said he vowed to do this to ‘raise awareness and help other people’, adding: “I won’t let this beat me.”

“Going forward, I knew what my goal was. I didn’t want to put myself on a timescale,” he explained. “I have got so many supportive people around me and I know people that have been through something similar and come out of the other side. So I thought, why not me?

“It’s just me and my personality. I have a positive mindset. I thought while I am still here, god forbid the worst happens, why not try to help other people and push the awareness as much as I can. I knew I wanted to try and help other people if I could, and knowing I potentially could is the best feeling ever. You start to think about what impact you want to leave behind.

“My friends and family have been absolutely amazing. They have made me feel comfortable and protected while egging me on too. People go their whole lives not knowing they are this loved or cared about, but under unfortunate circumstances, I know I am.”

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In one of his public statuses, he wrote: “I’m lost for words and the support is mental and insane. I’ve always told everyone I’d be a celebrity one day but never thought because of this [laughing face emoji]. Please raise awareness for cancers and I’ll let you all know now I won’t be going down so easily.”

In another, sharing a photo from inside The Christie hospital, he penned: “I love the film Fault in our Stars but never thought I’d be living it. Just a reminder to live everyday like it’s your last and do what you wanna do and not struggle with life and enjoy every minute. I won’t be going down so soon or without a fight.”

Jack is now due to start radiotherapy at The Christie hospital in south Manchester in hope of shrinking the tumour and prolonging his life. He said he is also lined up to start a new drug trial that has been recently approved.

Despite all this, Jack said he is feeling ‘better than ever’.

“The crazy thing is, when I first had the operation my eyesight was still worse for wear. But now, it’s getting better each day. It’s all mental. This is going on inside me, behind the scenes and I am being told by professionals, but on the outside I am still here and feeling better than ever.”

His loved ones have since set up a fundraising page to help support Jack and are organising a charity football match. Details are available here, where donations can also be made.

SNP ministers are considering how to apply the Tobacco and Vapes Act which handed Holyrood beefed-up powers to crackdown on vape use.

Vaping could be banned within 15m of Scots schools if smoke-free zones are extended to include playgrounds as well as hospitals.

SNP ministers are considering how to apply the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 which handed Holyrood beefed-up powers to crackdown on vape use in public areas.

The landmark legislation was passed UK-wide, with prior agreement from Holyrood, and aims to create a “smoke-free” generation by banning children born after 2009 from buying tobacco.

Scottish Labour is pushing for the strict smoke-free zones seen outside NHS hospitals and clinics to now cover schools and nurseries.

Jackie Baillie, the party’s health spokeswoman, said: “Kids should be able to play safely and breathe fresh, clean air at school. The SNP Government must look at how it can use the powers it has to protect kids’ health and make the areas around schools and playgrounds smoke-free.”

NHS hospitals already operate strict 100 per cent smoke-free policies that mean smoking, vaping, and e-cigarettes are completely banned inside all hospital buildings, grounds, car parks, and vehicles.

The rules were toughened up in 2022 when the Scottish Government introduced a law making it an offence to smoke within 15 metres of an NHS hospital building.

Under the rules, anyone who smokes in the perimeter area can face a £50 on-the-spot penalty, which is reduced to £30 if prompt payment is made.

It is not known if such an approach would be also be applied to school playgrounds but there is support for stronger smoke-free regulations.

Increasing numbers of teenagers are now regularly using e-cigarettes despite a ban on single-use vapes being introduced last year.

A recent study by the University of Stirling found pupils’ use of vapes negatively affected attendance and behaviour.

Pupils reported leaving lessons and missing classes to vape, contributing to truancy and disruption.

Staff warned some young people were showing signs of nicotine addiction, with teachers spending considerable time and resources responding to the issue, including patrolling school grounds and toilets.

Maree Todd, Public Health Minister, said: “The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 provides us with powers to expand existing smoke free spaces, as well as create vape free spaces and heated tobacco free spaces.

“These powers support the implementation of our Tobacco and Vaping Framework Place based actions, and we are considering how we will use the powers, ensuring action is both evidence based and proportionate.

“Any action will be subject to consultation and I will update Parliament with the next steps in due course.”