Brent Council urges UK govt to ban paan sales due to spitting, cancer risks.

• Brent Council has appealed to UK government ministers regarding the "escalating issue of paan spitting" in the borough.
• The council seeks an urgent ban on the sale of paan products containing tobacco or betel nut due to public health concerns and littering.
• Paan spitting causes unsightly, blood-red stains on public spaces and is linked to rising cancer rates, particularly in Brent's South Asian communities.
• Brent experiences over 90 cases of head and neck cancer per 100,000 people, significantly higher than the England-wide average of 16, with paan chewing identified as a major driver.
• The council has exhausted local enforcement options and is calling for national policy change and funding to tackle the problem and related illegal tobacco supply chains.

Why It Matters: It reveals a public health crisis and environmental problem demanding national policy change.