Will the government's plans stop people smoking?

Government plans to drastically reduce the numbers of people who smoke cigarettes could have a positive impact in preventing cervical cancer.

It can have serious implications in the development of cervical cancer - as well as many other forms of the disease - as researchers have found that women who smoke are more likely to develop squamous cell cervical cancer.

They also believe that the cells in the lining of the cervix which help to fight against disease do not work as well in smokers.

The government plans to halve the number of smokers in England by 2020 by re-packaging cigarettes and stopping the sale of tobacco from vending machines.

Martin Dockrell, director of research and policy at Action on Smoking and Health, believes the plan to be "an excellent strategy".

He said: "It's addiction that erodes people's ability to make choices. We know that seven out of ten smokers want to quit but it's really, really hard so this strategy helps people make the choice to quit."