A quarter of cigarettes in the UK have avoided taxes and duties

In his annual report, Sir Liam Donaldson said a crackdown was needed to reduce smoking-related deaths.

Shoppers should only be allowed to import 200 cigarettes from Europe - the limit is currently 3,200 - Sir Liam recommended.

It is estimated a quarter of cigarettes and 75% of hand-rolling tobacco have avoided UK taxes and duties.

He said the current cross-border shopping rules and approach to smuggling was undermining the drive against smoking and reducing health inequalities.

The availability of smuggled and cheap tobacco erodes these efforts to help people stop smoking Sir Liam Donaldson

"Traditionally, taxes, duties and price increases on tobacco have reduced tobacco consumption and been highly effective as an additional discouragement.

"But the availability of smuggled and cheap tobacco erodes these efforts to help people stop smoking."

To combat the problem, he recommended ministers needed to promote a protocol for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the global smoking treaty, to end the trade in tobacco smuggling worldwide.

And he called on the government to include rolling-tobacco in its smuggling strategy - at the moment only cigarettes are covered - and adopt stricter targets.

The limits for cross-border rolling-tobacco shopping should also be cut from 3kg to 250g.

Sir Liam said the current limits were enough to last the average smoker six months.

Deborah Arnott, director of anti-smoking campaign group Ash, agreed action was needed.

She said: "As Britain currently holds the EU Presidency, the government should seize this opportunity to engage European partners in a concerted effort to tackle both the illegal trade in tobacco and to reduce the tax differences in tobacco between EU countries."

But Simon Clark, of smoking lobby group Forest, said Sir Liam was living in "fantasy land".

"The reason the allowance was raised a few years ago was because reducing the allowance sets off a smuggling epidemic.