Kicking the habit would free up 75k appointments

Stubbing out smoking in England would free up some 75,000 GP appointments every single month, a charity has estimated.

Cancer Research UK says that the Government must do more to prevent young people starting smoking and to help smokers kick the habit.

Smoking, it says, remains the biggest cause of cancer deaths and takes up a "considerable" amount of NHS resources - with that one person being admitted to hospital every minute in England due to the habit.

The charity has called on the Government to launch a consultation on raising the age of sale of tobacco and commit to providing more funding to help people quit.

If the Government does not have the cash, then it should be funded by the tobacco industry, the charity said.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "In his forthcoming budget, the Chancellor has the chance to reduce the number of people suffering with and dying from smoking-related cancers, grow the economy, and best use NHS resources in England.

"Jeremy Hunt must grasp this opportunity to be bold with tobacco control and establish a Smokefree Fund to pay for these measures – and if required, make the tobacco industry, not the taxpayer, pay for the harm it causes to our nation's health, and our health service."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Smoking rates in England are at an all-time low – currently at 13% and down from around 20% in 2010.

"We remain firmly committed to our ambition to be smoke-freeby2030andwewill set out our next steps soon."