FOR SMOKERS AND ex-smokers alike in Britain, it’s almost impossible not to see the cigarette packs piled into prominent displays behind store counters and supermarket checkouts.

Critics says that the displays occupy prime retail real estate, helping to keep addicts hooked and quitters tempted – and the British government has now announced a ban on point-of-sale displays, keeping cigarettes and tobacco hidden away and making it that much more difficult for smokers to find their fix.

The Health Department said Wednesday that beginning in April 2012 tobacco displays will be banned from large stores in Britain. All other UK retailers will have an additional three years to dismantle their displays, reports Reuters.

“Smoking is undeniably one of the biggest and most stubborn challenges in public health. Over eight million people in England still smoke and it causes more than 80,000 deaths each year,” said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in a statement.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has reacted angrily to the news, saying that it will impose a huge cost on retailers with little evidence that it will serve its objective, reports the Press Association.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We are disappointed that the Government is pressing ahead with a tobacco display ban imposing £40 million of costs on small retailers. There simply isn’t the evidence to suggest that the measure will reduce smoking amongst young people.”

Other jurisdictions, including ones in Ireland, Scandinavia and Canada, have already banned tobacco displays.

Additional reporting by AP