THE relentless instigation of tactics by the Anti-Tobacco Campaign has become ever more ludicrous since huge financial penalties were awarded to groups of ex-smokers in the courts of America.

Since this triumph for the anti-tobacco lobby it has been open season for any dreamt up scheme to be implemented in this war against Big Tobacco.

In the UK the tactics of plastering lurid pictures of cancerous lesions all over the packaging is now to be negated by legislation to hide cigarette packs behind shields in retailer premises, ostensibly to remove the temptation of casual customers from seeing that cigarettes are available for sale, also to hide them from children.

Meanwhile anyone walking our shopping streets will see numerous discarded empty packs of the commodity which must not be visible in any retailer.

Most of the brains, who think up new tactics to impede legitimate sellers and buyers, appear to be on the public payrole. I wonder if such genius can currently be afforded.

MF Gardner, Carlisle Avenue, Swindon