London: Doctors called on Monday for a ban on the sale of 10-cigarette packs in Britain to discourage children from smoking.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said cigarettes should be taken off display and kept under the counter and tobacco vending machines should be made illegal.

Taxation on tobacco should also be raised above the rate of inflation. "Cigarettes must be made more inaccessible to children," said Vivienne Nathanson of the BMA.

The doctors' professional body said children exposed to tobacco smoke suffered serious health problems including respiratory illness, cancer and heart disease. It called for shops that sell cigarettes to be licensed in a similar way to those that sell alcohol.

All of Britain will be smoke free from July 1, when England bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces following similar restrictions already or about to be imposed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland will outlaw the sale of ten-cigarette packs from the end of May. The BMA said more had to be done to stop children taking up the deadly habit.

It said children of parents who smoke were between two and three more times more likely to smoke than thosefrom tobacco-free homes."One of the best ways to prevent children starting to smokeis to help their parents quit," said Nathanson.