Huge drop in people lighting up 10 years on

SMOKING rates in the borough have halved over the last four years according to figures from Leicestershire County Council.

The dramatic decline comes as England marks a decade of smokefree legislation.

The law banning smoking in bars, clubs, restaurants and other public and works places was introduced on July 1, 2007.

Since the introduction of the ruling research has shown there are 1.9 million fewer people lighting up across the country.

In Hinckley and Bosworth in 2012 the smoking prevalence was estimated to be 22.1%. The latest figures for 2016, now estimates the smoking prevalence to be 11.6%.

Councillor Ernie White, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for health, said: “We’re very encouraged there has been such a significant fall in the number of smokers in Leicestershire since new laws were introduced. However, there are still around 13% of adults in the county who smoke and there’s free support available for those in our community who want to stop. So far this year, we’ve helped more than 600 people to quit.”

The reduction in the number of people smoking has also seen a corresponding decrease in the incidence of heart disease and stroke.

Figures from Public Health England (PHE) show the number of smokers aged 35 and over dying from heart disease in the East Midlands has fallen significantly from 41.6 per 100,000 population in 2007-2009 to 31 in 2013-15.

Deaths from stroke have fallen from 11.7 per 100,000 in 2007-09 to 9.4 in 2013-15. Of all the counties in the East Midlands, Leicestershire has seen the biggest drop in the number of smokers, from 19.3% in 2012 to 13.5% in 2016.

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE, said: “In the East Midlands smoking rates continue to fall. The UK now has the second lowest smoking rates in Europe. However, while there is much to be positive about, large gaps still exist between the richest and poorest areas - with the highest rates over five times lowest.

“While these gaps persist there is still much work to be done but these latest figures give us real hope. It’s now hard to believe that back in 1974 almost half of adults smoked.”

According to the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Associ- greater than the ation, the number of cigarettes consumed in the UK, excluding those illicitly traded, has fallen from 99 billion in 1990 to 34 billion in 2014.

To find out about the support available to Leicestershire residents who want to kick the habit visit www.quitready.co.uk or call 0345 646 66 66.