Images of people suffering from the effects of smoking placed on cigarette packages help other smokers take more notice of their health impact.

That’s according to a study of 200 smokers, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 83 per cent were able to remember that health warning if it came with a graphic image.

The figure of 83 per cent is compared to just a 50 per cent success rate with text-only warnings.

Dr Andrew Strasser, lead author of the study and associate professor at the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said that the findings of the study were very important.

Dr Strasser said: “In addition to showing the value of adding a graphic warning label, this research also provides valuable insight into how the warning labels may be effective, which may serve to create more effective warning labels in the future.”

The UK government is currently in the process of carrying out a consultation on cigarette packaging.