Legislation due to be published by the Department of Health next week will stipulate that manufacturers will have to start publishing the images from October next year. 

The graphic adverts, which will include warnings about lung cancer and heart diseased accompanied by images such as diseased lungs, are similar to those already seen on tobacco products sold in other countries such as Canada and Brazil. However, the UK will be the first EU country to publish the pictures on tobacco products. 

Welcoming the announcement, Maureen Moore, chief executive, ASH Scotland said: “I am delighted that the Government has decided to introduce picture warnings on tobacco packs in the UK as research has demonstrated that warning messages with pictures and text are far more effective than text only labels. Cigarettes are such a dangerous product that special measures are necessary to point out directly to smokers the health hazards of tobacco.” 

In addition, she also urged the government to include details of the NHS Smokeline on all packets, to help smokers who want to quit access support. 

She said: “…Picture warnings will help to raise awareness about the terrible damage smoking can do to your health and international evidence shows that they have the potential to discourage young people from smoking, and for a significant number of smokers it increases their motivation to quit. With 70 per cent of smokers saying they want to quit, we must do everything we can to encourage and support them. Pictorial warnings also make the health warnings around smoking accessible to those who may have a learning disability or literacy problems. 

“If we can help smokers to quit and stop others ever starting and becoming addicted to this harmful substance, then we can improve the health of the people of Scotland, increase the life expectancy of our nation, and reduce the burden of smoking related disease on the NHS.”

Scots Euro Labour MP Catherine Stihler also welcomed the move, saying that she “…wholeheartedly believes a picture paints a thousand words and that these images will save lives.”

She continued: “Smoking is the UK’s single greatest cause of preventable illness and early death. Half a million people across the EU die each year from smoking and 120,000 people from the UK. With 70 per cent of smokers saying they want to quit we need to do everything we can to help them.

“Countries which have already issued these images on cigarette packets including Canada, Brazil, Thailand and Singapore have reported a marked reduction of smoking rates especially in uptakes by young people. This is a vitally important development to ensure the future of the next generation and one I will continue to fight for in the European Parliament.

“I am keen to see a smoke-free Europe, overall 80 per cent of Europeans favour a public smoking ban. Public Health Commissioner Kyprianou intends to draft suggestions on the best way for the EU to be involved in making Europe smoke-free. For my part, I will lobby heavily towards making legislation stringent enough to ensure this.”