Menthol flavoured cigarettes such as Belinda Green will be banned from the shelves of Dutch tobacconists from Wednesday, following a European court of Justice decision four years ago.

The court ruled that the flavouring encourages smoking at a time when EU policy is aimed at getting as many people as possible to stop.

Afficionados of menthol cigarettes in the Netherlands have been buying as many of their favourite smokes as possible and are coming up with ways to replace them, one tobacconist told broadcaster NOS.

‘We noticed sales  going up sharply over the last two months,’ tobacconist Mary Gram said.

Gram, who called on clients to come up with alternatives on Facebook, said some people were turning to vaping with menthol while others said a piece of paper impregnated with menthol also did the job. ‘You put it in the package, leave for a night and then the effect is the same,’ she said.

Menthol flavoured tobacco for roll ups is also included in the new directive.