Menthol cigarettes will be banned later this year as part of new major changes to the sale of cigarettes.

Menthol cigs, menthol roll your own tobacco and skinny cigarettes will no longer be available to buy in May, the Department of Health and Social Care has revealed.

This is the latest ban following a string of rules introduced in 2017 which included plain packaging, banning on selling smaller packs of cigarettes and not being able to buy tobacco weighing less than 30g.

According to the government website, smokefree.gov, menthol was first added to cigarettes in the 1920s.

Menthol cigarettes were initially marketed as being healthier and safer and their cool and refreshing taste was emphasised.

Like other cigarettes, menthol cigarettes harm nearly every organ in the body.

They cause many diseases, including cancer and heart disease with some research showing menthol cigarettes may be more addictive than non-menthol cigarettes.

The ban is in accordance with the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

The UK is set to leave the EU this month, but the directive was implemented in UK law in 2016, meaning the ban will go ahead regardless of the UK's position in or out of the European Union.

The Department of Health said that banning the production and sale of menthol cigarettes is "an important milestone in the Government’s drive towards a smoke-free society by 2030."