Exhibit 23






                       CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS



We  hereby  consent  to the  incorporation  by  reference  in  the  Registration
Statements on Form S-3  (Registration No. 333-88358) and Forms S-8 (Registration
Nos. 333-12287,  333-12289,  333-53817,  333-78783,  333-87802 and 333-87804) of
West Pharmaceutical  Services Inc. of our report dated March 3, 2003 relating to
the financial  statements,  which appears in the Annual Report to  Shareholders,
which is  incorporated  in this Annual  Report on Form 10-K. We also consent to
the incorporation by reference of our report dated March 3, 2003 relating to the
financial statement schedule, which appears in this Form 10-K.



/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
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PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 26, 2003