Transaction in Own Shares

British American Tobacco PLC
17 December 2003

                          British American Tobacco PLC

                                SHARE REPURCHASE

British American Tobacco PLC announces that on 17th December 2003 it purchased
for cancellation 825,000 of its Ordinary shares from Credit Suisse First Boston
at a price of 753.06 pence per share.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange