Cigarette branding ban ‘would give £60m boost to region’

The calculations by Public Health England come in the wake of evidence from Australia where there was a 3.4 per cent fall in tobacco sales in the first year after standardised packs were introduced. It is estimated that total savings across England would be £500m, with the most benefits in areas of worst deprivation where smoking rates are highest.

More people smoke per head in Hull than anywhere else in the region, with more than 60,000 smokers - nearly 30 per cent of the population. Officials say savings for families would run to £4.5m on sales worth an estimated £107m in the city last year.

Savings to household budgets would total £9.6m in Leeds and between £6-£7m in North Yorkshire, Sheffield and Bradford, according to the figures. Public health chiefs say this would leave families with more disposable income which could be spent on other items and give a boost to local economies.

Pressure has been growing on Ministers to approve the measure in the face of heavy lobbying against the move by the tobacco industry. A consultation on draft proposals for standard packets closes tomorrow.

Campaigners claim a ban will reduce the appeal of cigarettes particularly among young people and remove the perception some brands are less harmful.

Cathy Read, of Public Health England in Yorkshire, said smoking remained the biggest cause of early death in the region claiming 8,000 lives a year.

“Standardised packaging is a powerful measure that would help to save lives,” she said.

“The introduction of standardised packaging will be a major boost to our tobacco control efforts – helping move us closer towards achieving a tobacco free generation.”