LONDON, Dec. 4(Xinhuanet)-- Britain's health department is planning to raise the legal age for buying tobacco from 16 to 18.

Such a move would put cigarettes on the same legal footing as alcohol, British media reported on Sunday.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt is considering the move as a means of cutting the number of teenage smokers, which is believed to be around a quarter of 16- to 17-year-olds in the country, the Independent on Sunday reported.

The tobacco industry earns an estimated 35 million pounds(some 63 million US dollars) a year in profit from teenage smokers in Britain.

"It's something that we're considering," said a Health Department spokesman.

Raising the legal age to 18 would also bring Britain into line with the United States and other European Union countries.

It could also help quell the criticism the government has run into over its refusal to introduce a blanket ban on smoking in public places. Enditem