Government release new graphic anti-smoking advert

A new graphic and hard-hitting advert warning of the dangers of smoking has been released by the government.

The new government anti-smoking advert, the first of its kind for eight years, shows a tumour growing from a cigarette.

According to the Department of Health (DoH), smoking just 15 cigarettes can cause a mutation than can lead to cancerous tumours.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said smokers play Russian roulette with every cigarette.

"This is a hard-hitting campaign to get at the hidden harms of smoking," she said.

"People will see a man smoking and then a cancer growing out of the cigarette. That is what happens in people's bodies.

"One-in-two smokers die from smoking, most from cancer. We know that people don't personalise the harms of smoking and don't understand what's happening in their bodies. This will show them."

The campaign is in response to statistics which show more than a third of smokers still think the health risks are greatly exaggerated, the DoH said. Dame Sally described the figures as "absolutely shocking".

Three in five (60%) plan to stub out their last cigarette in January, according to the survey on behalf of Pfizer's Don't Go Cold Turkey campaign. The campaign aims to encourage smokers to talk to healthcare workers about how they plan to quit.