An amputee is seeking answers as to why a picture showing the remainder of his leg is being featured on cigarette packets to deter people from smoking.

The 60-year-old man, who lives in the northeastern French city of Metz, was made aware of the image by his son after he bought some rolling tobacco in Luxembourg.

It was displayed alongside the message "smoking clogs your arteries", even though the man says he lost his leg in a shooting in his native Albania back in 1997.

Image: French media reports that the man lost his leg in a shooting in 1997

His son recognised the distinctive scars and brought a packet of the tobacco back to France, and a lawyer for the man is now working to get to the bottom of why it was allowed to happen without his consent.

Antoine Fittante told radio station France Bleu: "It's incredible that a person ends up, without his agreement, on packs of cigarettes from the European Union."


He added: "His amputation has absolutely nothing to do with a problem related to tobacco.

"My client feels betrayed. We must recognise that it is not very pleasant."

Six weeks before the cigarette packet was discovered, the man had visited a local hospital in the hope that he might be able to be provided with equipment to help him walk.

Mr Fittante said he has since written to the hospital to find out how the photo ended up being used, and he has also contacted the European Commission.

The executive branch of the EU is responsible for the distribution of such images on cigarette packets, and Mr Fittante said they are normally sourced from a verified database.