• 3/22/2007
  • United Kingdom
  • Nigel Nelson
  • ThePeople.Co.UK (www.people.co.uk)

ROLL-UPS are deadlier than ordinary cigarettes, frightening new research reveals.

The DIY cigarettes are more likely to cause cancer in the mouth and throat because the tobacco is stronger.

But despite the risks, the number of people smoking them has DOUBLED to 33 per cent since 1990.

And the figures for women have rocketed SIXFOLD in the same period, with one woman smoker in eight rolling her own.

Health minister Philip Hunt warned: “Smokers of hand-rolled cigarettes are more vulnerable to developing oral and throat cancer.”

But Mr Hunt insisted the Government could not try to crack down on the problem by raising the tax on rolling tobacco because that would only spark a boom in smuggling.

At present, Whitehall spends £50million a year on anti-smoking programmes.

But the success rate has been tiny, with the number of women smokers dipping by only two points from 27 to 25 per cent since 2001.

Now health watchdogs hope ten of thousands of puffers will give up this summer when smoking is banned in public places.