SHOCK tactics have an established place in campaigns to bring about positive changes in society.

Whether it is the horrifying moment a back-seat passenger who is not wearing a seat-belt smashes into the back of a driver, or a child is knocked down by a speeding car, or a pretty young girl is left mangled by a drunk behind the wheel, the objective is to make people think about the potential consequences of their actions. It is not nice to watch but it is certainly effective.

The same principle applies to the shocking images we publish today on Page 9. The graphic pictures, including diseased lungs and throat tumours, are to be printed on all tobacco products sold in Britain by the end of 2009.

We appreciate that the images are very unpleasant, but we make no apology for publishing them because the whole point is to hammer home the message that smoking can cause terrible diseases.

We all know that smoking kills and tobacco products already carry written health warnings. But the use of real-life images of killer diseases will have far more impact.

The hard evidence from countries such as Canada is that it is a strategy which works and we welcome the fact that Britain is the first EU country to follow suit.

We urge parents to show their children the images in today's paper so they understand why smoking isn't cool.