Graphic picture warnings to persuade Brits to quit smoking

A nationwide campaign in Britain to get people to quit smoking will be dramatically hiked up this week.

From October smokers will be confronted with graphic pictures on cigarette packets clearly showing how tobacco damages the health.

The pictures, which show cancerous lungs and throats as well as rotting teeth, will replace the current written warnings such as "smokers die younger".

The graphic warning pictures to appear on cigarette packs from October 1st will be compulsory and will be mandatory on all tobacco products from October 2010.

Though the measures introduced in recent years have helped to reduce the number of smokers, around 10 million Brits still smoke - written warnings on packs were adopted in 2003, the minimum age for buying tobacco rose from 16 to 18 last year and smoking in enclosed public places is banned right across the country.

Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson says the stark new pictorial warnings emphasise the harsh health realities of continuing to smoke and will hopefully make many more think about giving up.

Britain will be the first European country to introduce graphic images on cigarette packets to warn about the dangers of smoking - the 15 different images include pictures of a diseased lung and heart surgery being performed.

Canada was the first nation to use images in 2001 with surveys one year later showing a third had been motivated to quit by the images and it was similar tactics used in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and Singapore, which prompted the British action.

Anti-smoking campaigners say the introduction of picture warnings on tobacco products is a strong visual reminder of the horrendous illnesses caused by smoking and the evidence is that they work.