London - The British government Tuesday announced a ban on the open display of cigarettes in shops and supermarkets in its latest attempt to curb smoking, especially among the younger generation.

Health Minister Alan Johnson cited the success of similar schemes from Iceland to the British Virgin Islands as a main reason for the initiative, which will come into force between 2011 and 2013.

In line with future legislation for England and Wales, supermarkets will have to adopt the ban from 2011, with corner shops following suit in 2013.

The measures fall short of an outright ban on the branding on cigarette packets and tobacco vending machines, which had been demanded by anti-smoking groups.

Johnson said evidence from abroad had shown that under-age smoking rates had been cut by as much as 10 per cent in countries which had curtailed, or stopped, the open display of tobacco products and accessories.

"This is primarily about children - 11 to 15-year-olds," Johnson said. "Having these displays prompts impulse purchases and makes it more difficult for people who are determined to quit to actually quit."

Official statistics have shown that almost 200,000 children in the age group of 11 to 15 were regular smokers in Britain in 2007.

Anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) welcomed the planned removal of "deadly displays" for cigarettes, but regretted that vending machines would continue to be permitted.

The British Lung Foundation said the measures were a "step in the right direction," but also stressed the need to ban vending machines.

Statistics show that 87,000 people in Britain die from smoking- related diseases each year.

In the first 12 months after the introduction of a total ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces in Britain in July 2007, around 400,000 people quit smoking and more than 2 billion fewer cigarettes were consumed, reports said. (dpa)