Sunbed premises found to be in breach following during operation to protect young people
Lancaster City Council's Food and Safety team is investigating two sunbed businesses after a 15-year-old was offered the use of tanning equipment.
Officers visited six sunbed premises across the district last Thursday (August 6) as part of a test purchase operation carried out alongside Lancashire County Council Trading Standards to check compliance with laws designed to protect young people from the health risks associated with UV exposure.
With a 15-year-old volunteer, the team found that two businesses offered the use of a sunbed and accepted payment for a session, despite it being illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use a sunbed on commercial premises.
The other four businesses correctly refused the sale and will receive letters from the council congratulating them on having robust procedures in place to prevent underage sunbed use.
The council is now following up with the two businesses which breached the law.
The operation follows a programme of advisory visits to local sunbed premises, where businesses were reminded of their legal responsibilities and provided with free guidance and resources to support compliance.
Councillor Paul Hart, Lancaster City Council’s member with responsibility for environmental health, said: “The vast majority of businesses we visited understood their legal responsibilities and took the right action by refusing access to an underage volunteer. However, it is concerning that two premises failed to comply with legislation designed to protect young people from well-documented health risks.
“Commercial sunbed operators have a legal duty to prevent under-18s from using their facilities, and we will continue to work with businesses to ensure the law is followed and young people are protected. These age restrictions exist for a reason, and we are committed to ensuring they are followed."
The World Health Organisation classifies UV-emitting devices such as sunbeds as a Group 1 carcinogen, placing them in the same category as tobacco smoking and asbestos. According to the WHO, using a sunbed before the age of 20 increases the risk of melanoma skin cancer by 47 per cent compared with someone who has never used one.
Last updated: 11 August 2026