BIG tobacco companies are using pricing ploys to keep smokers hooked and the profits rolling in, researchers said yesterday.

The tactics include price-marking, new cheaper brands and reduced-size packs, said academics at the University of Bath and King’s College London.

Their study, which analysed sales data from 2009-15, found that, while total sales of tobacco had fallen, sales of the cheapest cigarettes and roll-your-own products had increased.