Wirral Council has welcomed the decision by the House of Lords to enforce the standardised packaging of tobacco products.

Peers agreed to the change without a vote after MPs overwhelmingly approved the move last week, despite fierce opposition from the tobacco industry.

The law will come into effect in May 2016.

Tobacco packaging will be stripped of all promotional aspects to make way for strong anti-smoking and health messages.

Fiona Johnstone, Wirral’s Director of Public Health said: “This is another step towards eventually making a dangerous habit a thing of the past.

"Attracting young people to smoking is a key element of advertising like this, so hopefully removing that draw will reduce the numbers of new smokers in Wirral and the wider region.”

Councillor Chris Jones, cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said: “I welcome this move, which will make smoking less attractive to future generations of children and young people.

"An estimated 1.2m people smoke in the Northwest of England, and making the habit less appealing is a key factor in bringing down this number and improving health outcomes.”

But Northwest Euro MP Paul Nuttall said the ban was "yet more bullying of smokers."

The Ukip deputy leader said: "The latest attack is claimed to lead to a reduction in the number of smokers.

"I cannot see the logic in this. Are they really saying that people buy cigarettes because they think the package looks pretty?

"What they've actually done is dangerous and, rather than save lives, will put more at risk.

"All that it will do is increase the size of the black market.

"Commonsense tells you that a plain or standardised package is easier to counterfeit than a branded one."

PENSION FUND INVESTS IN CIGARETTES:

Last January, Wirral Council signed a binding declaration committing itself to resist “the vested interests of the tobacco industry.

But at the same time it is overseeing a pension fund ploughing tens of millions in global tobacco giants.

Wirral is the administering authority for the £5bn Merseyside Pension Fund, which has more than £40m invested in cigarette manufacturing companies, including British American Tobacco.

Pressure has been applied for the cash to be withdrawn with one leading anti-smoking group branding it “completely inappropriate.”