STUDENTS are turning up the heat in the battle against tobacco by writing to the Prime Minister demanding action to make cigarette packaging less appealing.

The lobbying is the latest in a passionate campaign by Darlington School of Mathematics and Science students to curb sales of tobacco to young people.

A strongly worded letter will arrive this week before PM David Cameron, his deputy Nick Clegg, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Health Minister Anna Soubry and Darlington MP Jenny Chapman calling for cigarettes to be contained in plain packaging.

The move is the latest in a long running school campaign against tobacco which in 2011 saw them present a 15,000 name petition to Number 10 to have cigarettes banned in cars, in association with the British Lung Foundation.

Activist Liam Pape is motivated by the fact his father used to smoke and wishes he had never started and by the memory of friends' relatives who have died through smoking.

The 15-year-old was chosen by Fresh - Smoke-Free North-East - to target young people, a group considered most vulnerable to the effects of cigarette marketing.

In the letter Liam said: "I am passionately against smoking because my dad has smoked ever since he was a teenager and I can see how much of a disgusting and risky habit it is.

"The number of new people smoking in England is dire. Most of these new smokers are around my age and some of them are my friends. Something needs to be done.

"Not only do celebrities smoke branded cigarettes to make it look 'cool', the eye-catching packaging attracts people of all ages. Bright colours make the cigarettes look like there is something beautiful and tasty inside when really it is something that will seriously damage people's health no matter how old they are. It's a deception."

He warned of the expense to the country caused by ill-health resulting from smoking, which currently stands at 7bn a year, and he called for action similar to New Zealand which has introduced plain packaging on tobacco products.

"Not only would plain packing lower the number of first time smokers, I believe it would also make current smokers think harder about the damage they are causing to themselves," he said.

"Young people can't not imagine themselves aged 50 and unable to walk up the stairs or being treated for cancer. So we need to show exactly what smoking does and challenge people who think that if it's really that bad the Government would never let them be sold," he said.

"It is brilliant that it is now illegal for cigarette and tobacco companies to advertise in the UK but the next step is to introduce plain packaging. What is the Government prepared to do?"

DSMS house leader Trevor Tearney added: "The students feel extremely strongly about the issue and Liam has already addressed a Fresh conference in front of 200 delegates.

"They really are leading the country in the attack on young people smoking and securing plain packaging is the next important step in their campaign."