Stores throughout Kent have cleared their shelves ahead of a ban introduced today on displaying tobacco products.

The change in the law affects all large shops and supermarkets, and has been welcomed by NHS stop smoking experts.

The ban aims to stop youngsters taking up the habit, after research revealed shop displays play a crucial role in enticing young people to take up smoking.

Project manager of the Stop Smoking Services at Medway Maritime Hospital, Eleanor Ennis said: "It means that the bright visual tobacco display that is really attractive, especially for young people, won’t be there any more and for smokers who are trying to stop, or having just recently stopped, it should remove the temptation for them to make an impulse buy."

She added: "This is largely targeted towards young people who may be thinking about taking up smoking.

"If it’s removed - ‘out of sight, out of mind’ - it will have to take a lot more thinking about before they make a purchase."

However, the new tobacco display provisions, stated in the Health Act 2009, will only apply to smaller shops from April 2015.

Eleanor Ennis said the move was still a positive one: "This is much more about trying to stop people being tempted to buy cigarettes in the first place when they are not a regular or current smoker."

Protecting young people from tobacco, and stopping the next generation from smoking, are key aims for Kent County Council.

Meradin Peachey, Director of Public Health in Kent, said smoking was the biggest preventable cause of early death.

She added: "Most smokers tell us that they started smoking before they were 18 and more than 340,000 children under 16 try smoking each year."