Hard-hitting new anti-smoking campaign launched

A hard-hitting new campaign has been launched by the Department of Health to raise awareness of the link between smoking and cancer.

The new ads are designed to shock and depict a tumour growing on a cigarette as it is smoked, following on from the similarly impactful "fatty cigarette" adverts screened eight years ago.

It comes in response to statistics suggesting that one-third of smokers still believe the health risks associated with smoking are greatly exaggerated, despite the equivalent of more than 1,000 people each day being admitted to hospital with a smoking-related disease since 2004.

The basic message of the new campaign will be that smoking only 15 cigarettes is potentially enough to cause a mutation that can lead to cancerous tumours.

Chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: "We want smokers to understand that each packet of cigarettes increases their risk of cancer. And I want smokers to know that the NHS will help you quit."

This comes after the government recently celebrated the success of Stoptober, a national smoking cessation campaign supported by celebrities such as Ian Wright, Kate Walsh and Gary Cockerill.