Shocking pictures highlighting the danger of smoking are to be put on cigarette packets to try and persuade people to kick the habit.
The graphic images, which include the corpse of a lung cancer victim and a tumour growing from a victim's neck, will be shown on all tobacco products by 2009.
It is part of a new Government campaign to try and cut the rates of smoking.
Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, said the drive will "potentially save thousands of lives and others will be spared the misery of watching family and friends die prematurely from smoke related illnesses."
"Picture warnings are the next vital step in reducing the number of people who smoke. We are committed to continuing to drive down smoking rates in the UK as smoking remains the number one cause of ill health and early death," he added
A total of 15 images with written warnings will be displayed on cigarette packets and all tobacco manufacturers will have to start complying with regulations to print the graphics by October next year.
One picture shows a baby in an incubator, warning that smoke can harm children.
Another warns that smoking causes impotence by showing a drooping cigarette to symbolise erectile dysfunction.
The move has been welcomed by anti-smoking campaigners who hope the images will be as shocking as possible.
Jean King, director of tobacco control at Cancer Research UK, said: "The evidence-from Canada, Brazil and elsewhere is clear.
"Graphic picture warnings inform people of the risks of smoking and help encourage people to reduce their smoking or quit altogether."
But Forest, the smokers' lobby group, say they are being victimised by the new rules and accuse the Government of targeting a minority group.
Neil Rafferty, a spokesman for the group, said: "You could construct exactly the same argument for placing graphic images on bottles of alcohol, but because most people like to drink alcohol, the Government doesn't want to offend the majority.
"The Government are bullying smokers simply because they can get away with it."
Ministers promised to bring in the new rules in a white paper published in 2004 and they have since carried out an extensive public consultation to select the most shocking images.
The Department of Health unveiled the images alongside new rules regarding the sale of smoking products.
It is likely that cigarette packs displaying written warnings without images will not be allowed on sale past September 30 next year whilst other tobacco packets will have to show the images by September 2009.
The legislation comes weeks after the Government banned smoking in public places, bringing England in line with the rest of the UK.
Next month the minimum age for buying tobacco in England and Wales increases from 16 to 18.
