Transaction in Own Shares

At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 25 March 2004 shareholders
granted the company authority to purchase up to 34,590,754 ordinary shares.

The Company announces that it has today repurchased 2,000,000 ordinary shares
at a price of 139.25p per share. 27,938,000 ordinary shares have therefore been
purchased to date under the above authority and the issued share capital
following cancellation of the shares repurchased will be 202,820,869 ordinary
shares.

Since 12 November 1999 when the Company first obtained powers to purchase its
own shares 100,979,250 shares have been repurchased.

23 March 2005