Dorset: Cigarette caused heathland fire killing rare species

A cigarette thrown from a car has been identified as the likely cause of a heathland fire in Dorset which killed hundreds of rare lizards and birds.

The National Trust said it was probably thrown from a car in Ferry Road and destroyed 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) on the Studland peninsula.

Up to 120 firefighters battled the blaze on Tuesday afternoon at the Site of Special Scientific Interest.

National Trust experts believe at least 500 reptiles are likely to have died. It is one of the few places in Britain where six native reptile species can be found.

Alongside the adder, the grass snake, the common lizard and slow worm are vulnerable populations of the country's two rarest species, the sand lizard and the smooth snake.

Nests and broods of several species of birds associated with lowland heath, such as the linnet and the Dartford warbler, were thought to have been caught up in it.

A spokeswoman for Dorset Fire and Rescue said the blaze was not suspicious and that a cigarette was the most likely cause.

It is expected to take up to 20 years for the area to be fully recolonised.

David Hodd, the National Trust head warden for Purbeck, said: "Almost everything in the area has been killed by the flames and smoke."

"It could not have come at a worse time for the wildlife on the heath because it is the breeding season."

BBC News, 21 May 2008

EUROPE: AGREEMENT ON REDUCING CIGARETTE FIRES

Deborah Arnott of Action on Smoking and Health and Florence Berteletti of the Smoke Free Partnership have published an article in 'Tobacco Control'. To read please visit:

http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/17/1/4-b?etoc

Westminster MPs press for urgent action

08/01/2008

Today an Early Day Motion was tabled by David Taylor MP supporting the government's call to roll out fire safer cigarettes ahead of the rest of the European Union.

It also welcomes the government's stance to introduce the same standard currently used in Canada and other US states. Any development of a new standard would take time and cause avoidable loss of life and destruction.

To view the Early Day Motion, go to:

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34802&SESSION=891

As 2008 approaches....

...RIP cigarettes are to become effective in the following US states:-

Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Alaska, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Utah. Further will follow suit in 2009 with more states filing legislation for consideration in other states.

At this time 52% of the US population is now or soon will be covered by fire safer cigarettes.

We look forward to their speedy introduction across the European Union. 

Fire safer cigarettes to be made standard

For the latest press release, on this latest development, from the Department of Communities and Local Government, go to:

http://tinyurl.com/32hh33

EU gives green light to fire safer cigarettes

The European Commission endorsed a plan to introduce fire safer cigarettes, a standard which could come into force as early as next year, depending on how long it takes to get the industry to switchover.

The plan is meant to follow a trend by the United States and Canada which have already introduced the new slower burning cigarettes, which help reduce the number of deaths from fires at home caused by dropped or unattended and lit cigarettes.

"Clearly it is better not to smoke at all," said Meglena Kuneva, the EU's consumer affairs commissioner. "But if people choose to smoke then requiring tobacco companies to make this small technical change is another step in the right direction toward reducing some of the terrible damage that can be caused."

Cigarette-related fires cause 520 deaths and 1,600 injuries every year in 14 EU countries, the European Commission said, citing data from those countries.

It added that unattended lit cigarettes were also a major cause of forest fires in many southern EU member states. In Italy 32 percent of all unintentional forest fires last year were caused by cigarettes and matches abandoned in dry timber areas, according to an EU study.

"This is a superb opportunity to save more fires that are needlessly lost, particularly at home," said Sir Ken Knight, former fire chief of the London Fire Brigade, who now advises the British government on fire and rescue issues. "There is little doubt that we would see fire deaths reduced."

Under the new safety standards, cigarette manufacturers will have to wrap cigarettes with two or three thin bands of thickened paper that act to "slow down" a burning cigarette. If left smoldering, the burning tobacco will hit one of the bands and self-extinguish.

Kuneva said the drafting of the new rules, which would get under way shortly and could take as long as two years, could foresee transition periods for cigarette makers.

 IHT.com 29/11/2007 

 Wisconsin to introduce fire safer cigarettes legislation

New legislation was introduced by state Sen. Judy Robson, D Beloit, that would require cigarettes in Wisconsin to be “fire-safe,” which could prevent fires that lead to hundreds of deaths every year in the United States.

He stressed that effective legislation would have to be similar to legislation passed in other states. “You don’t want a patchwork of legislation that creates different cigarettes in all 50 states,” Bender said.

Twenty-two other states already have legislation that requires selling “fire-safe” cigarettes, and nine other states have filed similar legislation. State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, said that he had not yet looked at the bill.

According to the City of Madison Fire Department, four out of the five recorded fire deaths in the last two years have occurred in fires started by smoking materials. CMFD Public Information Officer Lori Wirth stated that 19 fires have already been caused this year in Madison by smoking materials.

“This legislation could possibly have an impact unlike anything we’ve seen since smoke detectors were required. It’s a pretty big deal … we have a real opportunity to preserve life,” Wirth said.

Wirth said the bill would save the lives of both smokers and their neighbors because deaths caused by smoking related materials are often not those of the smokers themselves.

According to the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes, 34 percent of the victims are children of the smokers, 25 percent are neighbors or friends and 14 percent are spouses.

http://www.dailycardinal.com/

23.11.07

Indianapolis to propose only 'Fire Safe' cigarettes sold

INDIANAPOLIS - State lawmakers may change the type of cigarettes that retailers can sell in Indiana. Senator Jeff Drozda plans to introduce a bill requiring that only fire safer cigarettes be available in the state.

Those cigarettes have wrappings that make them less likely to set clothing, bedding or anything else on fire if someone leaves them unattended. Statistics show careless smoking causes hundreds of fire deaths every year nationwide. The numbers in Indiana are alarming as well.

"The Indiana Department of Homeland Security, their statistics from 2000 to 2007 state that Indiana's had 26 fatalities and 90 injuries due to fires ingnited from smoking," said Senator Drozda. With 26 fatalities, the rate of death from smoking fires was six times greater than overall residential fire deaths. Although fires caused by smoking accounted for only 2.08 percent of residential fires, they caused 12.94 percent of civilian fire deaths.

If successful, Indiana would be the 23rd state to require the sale of fire safer cigarettes.

Wishtv8.com

19/11/2007 

RJ Reynolds to produce only Fire-Safe Cigarettes

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.'s announcement that it will manufacture all of its cigarette brands using fire-safe technology is a victory for all of those interested in public safety, said the National Fire Protection Association and the group it coordinates, the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes.

“Nearly two years ago, we began urging major tobacco companies to switch to this life-saving technology,” said James M. Shannon, NFPA’s president. “While it could have been done sooner, I applaud their action and urge every other tobacco company to do the same. There is no reason everyone in the country shouldn’t have the same protection.”

Cigarette-ignited fires are the leading cause of residential fire deaths. Each year in this country, 700 to 900 people die in cigarette-ignited fires. One quarter of those people killed — often including children and the elderly — are not the smoker. So called fire-safe cigarettes are designed to self-extinguish if dropped or left unattended. They are less likely to ignite clothing, bedding or other material.

Absent action by tobacco companies, NFPA and the Coalition coordinated a state-by-state campaign to encourage passage of fire-safe cigarette mandates. To date, 22 states have done so. This year alone, 16 governors signed legislation into law. Even states in the heart of tobacco country, such as Kentucky and North Carolina, have passed fire-safe cigarette laws. Legislators in many more states are poised to introduce similar bills in the next legislative session.

“That state-by-state movement has been incredibly successful so far and has resulted in the tipping point for this effort,” Shannon said. “If cigarette manufacturers had begun producing only fire-safe cigarettes 20 years ago, an estimated 15,000 lives could have been saved by now. While we can not save those who have perished in tragic cigarette fires, this action will save others.”

Fire Chief website (31.10.07)

http://firechief.com/news/Safe_cigarettes_10312007/

London Assembly press release: 10th October 2007

Assembly supports new standard for fire safer cigarette

The London Assembly today called for the European Union to support a proposal for a new fire safer cigarette standard.

A reduced ignition propensity cigarette – a fire safer cigarette - is one that has been designed to be less likely than a conventional cigarette to ignite soft furnishings such as a couch or mattress.

The standard should be brought into effect as quickly as possible, as this would dramatically reduce the number of fires and fatalities.

The motion supporting the proposal was tabled by Valerie Shawcross AM and seconded by Darren Johnson AM. 

Val Shawcross said: “Everyone knows that smoking can slowly kill someone, but they can also kill very quickly when they cause fires.  Cigarette fires are the biggest cause of fire-related deaths in the home.  Adopting this standard will be a major step forward for the health and safety of people across Europe.  This standard will save lives.”

The full text of the motion is:

“This Assembly warmly welcomes the support of the European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, for a new fire safer cigarette standard to be applied across the European Union, and calls on all member state representatives to support this proposal when the EU General Product Safety Directive Committee votes on it in November.

“A survey of fourteen Member States and Norway carried out by the European Commission has identified 11,000 fires caused by smoking each year, resulting in € 13 million of material damage, 1,600 injuries and 520 deaths. A fire safer cigarette standard would dramatically reduce the number of such fires. A Fire Research Report for the UK Government estimates that had the standard been in force in the UK in 2003, the number of smoking related fires would have fallen by almost two-thirds, the number of fatalities from 123 to 45 and the number of non-fatal casualties from 1,416 to 530. This would mean a major step forward for the health and safety of Londoners, where about 600 fires a year are now caused by smokers’ materials, and where last month saw the death of a young man in a Tottenham fire believed to have been caused by a lit cigarette.

“This Assembly congratulates the London Fire Brigade and its partners in the UK RIP Coalition, strongly supported by the Mayor, for their campaigning work on this issue. The Assembly calls on the Commission to adopt the standard already in force in many US states and in Canada, so that it can be brought into effect across Europe as quickly as possible.”

Notes for editors:
1.      The motion was agreed by a majority of Assembly Members
2.      As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.

Blaze claims lives of newlyweds

A newly-wed couple died side by side when a blaze ripped through their flat.

A poignant floral tribute to "Daddy" was among those left outside the home where Kaye and Maurice Tooley died.

They were dragged from the property in Wharton Street, South Shields, South Tyneside in the early hours of Sunday.

Among the touching messages was one from Mr Tooley's daughter, Rachel.

It said: "To Daddy and Kaye, I will always love you both more than anything, I'll never forget you's."

Neighbours said Mr Tooley, 47, and his 25-year-old wife had lived together for about two years, but had only just wed.

They watched in horror as emergency services flooded the street at around 1am, after the woman in the flat below raised the alarm.

Inspector Graham Lockey of South Tyneside Police said: "It would appear to be a tragic accident which resulted in the loss of life for two people.

"At this early stage there are no suspicious circumstances.

"Although the matter is in the hands of the fire investigation officers, it would appear to be the result of a discarded cigarette in the kitchen.

"It serves as a reminder to people, as it led to the death of the couple who, at the end of the day, have gone to bed and been killed by fire. It is tragic."

Source: The Northern Echo, 8th October 2007

For ASH's press release on this story please click here.

Countdown to EU approval

From the 29^th to 30^th November 2007 the committee of the General Product Safety Directive is due to discuss RIP cigarettes. The coalition is seeking as many UK MEPs as possible to sign up to written declaration 66/2007 at the Smoke Free Partnership stand within the European Parliament between the 10^th and 11^th October 2007.

Go to our Action section to contact your MEP to gain their support at this crucial time.

Fires Started by Cigarettes in the UK

Cigarette blamed for flat fire death 

10 May 2007 

A fire that led to the death of a Frome man was probably caused by a discarded cigarette, an inquest heard.Firefighters called to a flat in Hooper's Barton in the early hours of October 22, 2006, found 37-year-old Shaun Bennett lying in a bath of water.

Attempts by emergency services failed to resuscitate him.

A smoke alarm in the flat was open and the battery had been taken out.

An inquest in Frome on Friday was told that a post-mortem revealed Mr Bennett had died from a combination of smoke and toxic fume inhalation, intoxication and drowning.

Source: this is Somerset

Firemen tackle Swinton blaze

30 May 2007

By Simon Duke

CREWS from Duns and Coldstream attended a housefire in Swinton on Monday May 28. The fire service were alerted to the blaze at Wellfield at 3.37pm and engines were quickly on the scene. A fire had broken out in a living room on the ground floor of the property. The owner of the house had returned from picking up her children to find thick smoke coming out of the windows.

Breathing apparatus were used when extinguishing the fire and the Fire Investigation Unit attended from Edinburgh. The blaze is believed to have been caused by smoking materials burning through an arm chair. No-one was hurt.

Source: The Berwickshire News

Blaze hero dad's burns

By David Walsh

03 May 2007

A DAD suffered burns on his hands, arms and feet when he tackled a house blaze in Barnsley sparked by his wife's cigarette.

The 47-year-old father-of-three grabbed burning curtains and a blanket and dragged them out of the semi on Bluebell Road, Darton, after the family was alerted by smoke alarms.

He suffered burns described as "quite deep", particularly on his legs, and was today being treated in Barnsley hospital.

His wife, aged 35, and their three boys, aged eight and twins aged five, escaped without harm. A pet dog which was in the kitchen also got out without being injured.

The blaze broke out just after 11pm when the woman went to the toilet and an unguarded cigarette set light to soft furnishings in the lounge.

Crew manager Steve Wood said it took seconds to spread, triggering newly installed smoke alarms which gave the family an early warning which probably saved their lives.

Source: Sheffield Star Barnsley

Family rescued from burning flat

23 April 2007

A fire broke out at a flat in Wood Road, Heybridge, Essex, early on Sunday where a woman, two men and children, aged two, eight and 10, were sleeping.

Control watch officer Samantha Boreham said: "It was a good result because they all got out."

There was no smoke alarm in the flat and station officer Danny Bruin said the incident had been triggered by smoking materials.

Source: BBC News online

Mother and Children Escape from Fire in Flat

20 April 2007

A mother and her two teenage children had to be rescued by firefighters from their home in Long Acre House, Snow Hill.

 Crews were alerted to the blaze by a neighbour who saw smoke billowing out of the property at 7.14am yesterday.

A spokeswoman for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said the bedroom where the fire started was gutted and other rooms were smoke and waterlogged.

"It looks like the fire started accidentally as a result of smoking materials," she said.

Source: The Bath Chronicle

Ceiling collapses in bedroom blaze

19 April 2007

By Helen Clarke

A man narrowly escaped serious injury when a fire, believed to have been started by a lit cigarette, engulfed his Astwood Bank bedroom causing the ceiling to collapse.

Firefighters, who came from Redditch and Studley, believe the 42-year-old resident may have fallen asleep with a lit cigarette that set fire to the bed.

Ian Prust, Redditch Fire Station manager, said: "This man was extremely lucky to escape from the building, the flat is completely destroyed. The outcome could have been immeasurably worse.

Source: Redditch Advertiser

Cigarette burn

11 April 2007

By Peter Stebbings

A massive fire at a partially built Colindale development last year is likely to have been caused by workmen smoking at the site, an official report has concluded.

The Fire Protection Association (FPA), the UK's fire safety watchdog, also said it was more by luck than good judgement that no one was killed or seriously injured in the blaze, which started at about 3.30pm, on July 12, and raged for five hours.

The fire, at Beaufort Park development, in Aerodrome Road, resulted in black smoke rising hundreds of feet into the air. It had a significant impact on the local community', noted the FPA's report, citing the massive smoke plume, traffic gridlock, and the evacuation of buildings and houses nearby.

Two thousand people living close to the development had to be evacuated from their homes, and adjacent Middlesex University halls of residence were evacuated after they too caught fire, causing £2million worth of damage. Nearby Colindale police station and police training college also had to be evacuated. Thirty cars parked nearby were badly damaged.

Block B4, where the fire started, collapsed nine minutes after the alarm was raised. Despite the efforts of 100 firefighters, the flames quickly spread to four other blocks. All were built on timber frames.

The report addressing the cause of the fire at the development, which is now secure and being rebuilt, rules out arson. However, while noting the site was no-smoking, there was evidence builders had broken that rule.

The findings also stated: "Although no formal report has yet been produced by the fire brigade, careless disposal of smoking materials, possibly igniting sawdust or wood shavings, appears to be the most likely cause."

Source: Richmond and Twickenham Times

Seventh Floor Blaze Terror

30 March 2007

Firefighters rescued a man from a seventh storey balcony after a blaze gutted his high rise flat. Emergency crews were called after the man woke up at 7am yesterday to find his bedroom on fire. He fled to his balcony and shouted to his neighbours for help.

Today fire officers said the fire broke out after a cigarette was "carelessly discarded". They also said the tenant's smoke alarms may well have saved his life. Lincolnshire's community fire safety manager Neil Stacey urged residents to dispose of cigarettes carefully.

Source: This is Lincolnshire

Couple leap to escape house blaze

26 March 2007

A couple were taken to hospital after leaping from a first-floor bedroom window to escape a fire.

They are thought to have been woken at 10.30pm yesterday by a fire in their living room in Monkswood Rise, Seacroft, Leeds.

They jumped 15ft on to concrete in the back garden. The woman, aged 28, suffered head injuries. Her partner, thought to be in his late 30s, was unhurt but said to be badly shaken. They were taken to Leeds General Infirmary.

Discarded smoking materials are believed to be to blame for the blaze.

Blaze hero loses fight to rescue victim

15 March 2007

By Miles Godfrey

Tony Lovell was overwhelmed by flames as he tried to save Arthur Mann who had fallen asleep while smoking. A heroic neighbour has told how he was overwhelmed by flames as he tried to save a pensioner from a fire.

Arthur Mann, 85, died after falling asleep while smoking in his ground-floor flat in Pashley Court, Shoreham.

The blaze broke out at 6pm on Wednesday - National No Smoking Day - and the flat quickly caught fire.

Despite the best efforts of neighbour Tony Lovell, Mr Mann died before anyone could rescue him.

Fire and rescue crews had been called to the same address on April 2 last year when it caught fire because of a discarded cigarette.

Mr Lovell, 44, said he had absolutely no chance of overcoming the fierce flames.

Firefighters from Shoreham said it was the third fatality in the area in the past 12 months caused by discarded cigarettes.

Gwen Thresh, of Wilmot Road, Shoreham, died in March last year and Michael Jacob, 68, of Ravens Road, Shoreham, was killed on December 9.

Source: Brighton & Hove Argus

Safer fags would save lives say firefighters

7 March 2007

FIRE Brigade bosses have backed calls for a new style of cigarette which goes out if it is not puffed upon.

Nearly one fire every fortnight in Haringey is caused by people being careless with cigarettes - and was the reason behind a recent fire death in the borough.The London Fire Brigade is calling for a Europe-wide law banning old-fashioned cigarettes in favour of "fire safer" fags, which could slash the number of fires and fire deaths.

A special coating on the cigarettes means that it stops burning if the smoker doesn't take a drag. Many fires are caused by smokers falling asleep in bed while still having a cigarette alight.
Sixteen fires have been caused in Haringey by burning cigarettes in the last year.

Last October, a 65-year-old man died from smoke inhalation after a fire started on the sofa in his lounge at Siward Road on the Tower Gardens Estate, Tottenham.

Steve Chase, head of Blue Watch at Tottenham fire station, said: "We think he found himself trapped by the fire at the back door, which was locked. We attempted to resuscitate him but we were unsuccessful.

Source: nlnews@archant.co.uk

Flat wrecked by a cig

5 March 2007

By Ben Holt

A PENSIONER is in hospital after a dropped cigarette sparked a flat fire.

An 83-year-old woman was at her Brunswick Gardens flat when the fire started at 6am today.

Her son, who had spent the night at the Halifax flat, raised the alarm as the flames took hold. The front room was gutted, window frames melted and thick black smoke poured into the stairwell.

When firefighters from Halifax arrived residents had already evacuated the flats. The pensioner and her son were outside suffering from smoke inhalation.

Watch manager Chris Linley said: "We think the lady that owned it had been in the living room smoking and had dropped the cigarette down the back of the sofa and that set it off.

Source: Evening Courier

Warning as fifth fatal fire strikes

10 Oct 2006

By Carl Butler

NORTH Wales' fire chief last night urged members of the public to heed safety warnings following the death of a woman in a house blaze.

Simon Smith’s call came as an investigation showed the fire which killed a Deeside woman was started by a cigarette.

The victim was yesterday named as Christina Grice, 44, of Bernsdale Court, Sandycroft.

A fire service spokeswoman said: “The fire investigation strongly suggests that the fire was caused by smoking materials left unattended on a sofa in the living room of the property.”

Fire chief Mr Smith said: “Firstly I would like to offer my condolences to the friends and family of the woman who sadly passed away at her home in Sandycroft.

“This was a lady who lived on her own and was found alone in a smouldering building due to a fire started by a discarded cigarette.”

Sunday’s fire tragedy takes the total to five in the region since April.

Source: Daily Post

Widow killed by her ciggies

17 Feb 2007

By Peter Taylor

A widow's fondness for a fag probably led to her death, investigators have concluded.

Irene Hume, 76, of Cowpen Road, Blyth, died just hours after she was rescued from her blazing home by firefighters on the Friday night before Christmas.

It is believed Mrs Hume had been smoking a cigarette downstairs before she went to bed without putting it out properly.

She lost her fight for life at 3am the next day in Ashington's Wansbeck General Hospital, where she had been put on a life-support machine after suffering first-degree burns.

Source: The Evening Chronicle

Fire deaths appeal

13 February 2007

SMOKERS are being warned to make sure cigarettes are fully stubbed out in a new campaign to cut the number of fire deaths.

Fire chiefs say that eight Mansfield house fires and a further three in Ashfield were caused by discarded cigarettes and other smoking materials last year.

And of the seven house fires in Nottinghamshire in which lives were lost, six were caused by smouldering cigarettes, matches and lighters.

Said watch manager Dave Bryan, of the county's Fire and Rescue Service's Community Safety Team: "Smoking materials are the biggest cause of fire-related deaths in the home.

"These fires can start during the day or night, often when alcohol has been consumed, and some of the most common places for them to start are sofas, beds and carpets."

Source: ashfieldtoday.co.uk

Fire rages at student house

13 February 2007

Around seven students were evacuated from their homes when a fire broke out in a house converted into flats.

Old-style brands will be banned by 2009

in a bid to prevent blaze deaths

Denis Campbell, health correspondent

Sunday May 27, 2007

The Observer

Cigarettes that stop burning within two minutes of being put down are to replace conventional brands in an attempt to reduce the number of casualties from fires started by smouldering butts.

The European Commission is to ban traditional cigarettes by 2009-10, forcing smokers to buy 'fire-safe' cigarettes that need constant drags to keep them alight.

Arlene McCarthy, a British Labour member of the European Parliament and chair of its consumer protection committee, said: 'It's very good news. It will save lives. At the moment some people come home, have had a few drinks, fall asleep on the sofa with a cigarette in their hand, it falls on to flammable material and the next thing you know you've got a fire. Fire-safe cigarettes greatly reduce the risk of that happening.'

McCarthy admitted it may prove unpopular among Britain's 10 million smokers. 'Some smokers have said that they felt it would interfere with their smoking experience, but as long as you are smoking the cigarette and drawing on it, it will stay lit. The sensation for the smoker will be no different. But the safety effect will be massive.'

The commission's general product safety committee will next month discuss evidence submitted by 17 of the 27 member states showing that about 2,000 people across Europe are killed every year in house fires caused by cigarettes and a further 7,500 injured. The committee is expected to then vote at its next meeting, in November, to ask CEN, the body which regulates the quality of all consumer products sold in Europe, to devise an EU-wide standard for 'fire-safer' cigarettes. Setting a safety standard for any product usually takes two to three years, but the commission hopes to introduce fire-safe cigarettes sooner, by adopting the same standard that applies in New York State, the first place to legislate on fire-safe cigarettes. Canada and eight other American states have followed suit, and Australia is considering passing a similar law.

The commission has rejected claims from the tobacco industry that the new cigarettes will have little impact on fire-related deaths and injuries and that they will prove more toxic to smokers. Evidence from North America suggests that changing the composition of cigarettes will add half of 1 per cent to their cost - 2p or 3p on a packet of 20.

Once the new rules come in, cigarettes imported into the EU will also have to have several concentric bands, or 'speed bumps', in the tobacco paper to restrict oxygen access to the cigarette's burning end. But there is concern that Britain's high level of tobacco smuggling - up to 13bn of the estimated 70bn cigarettes sold come from that route - may rise further as some smokers fight to continue enjoying conventional cigarettes.

Angela Smith, the Fire Minister at the Department of Communities and Local Government, has lobbied the commission on the UK's behalf to make the change. Commission officials have paid particular attention to evidence from doctors specialising in treating burns victims about the often horrifying injuries suffered by people caught in fires.