SMOKING costs Swindon approximately £56.1m every year, it has been revealed.

As Stoptober passes its halfway mark, an event which encourages smokers to go smoke free for 28 days, it is estimated tghat 50,724 work days are lost a year in the town to smoking related problems. 

The smoking population of Swindon is approximately 35,317 and each year 643 working years are lost due to smokers’ early deaths.

Smoking breaks also cost the Swindon economy approximately £24.9m each year. 

Passive smoking is costing the local economy a further £878,900 each year and smoking-related fires cost £2.4m.

The Swindon Stop Smoking Service, run by SEQOL, can help smokers quit for good.  Evidence shows that if a smoker can go 28 days without a cigarette, they are five times more likely to stay permanently smoke-free. Stopping smoking can be a challenging process but it has significant health, financial - the average monthly cost of a 20-a-day habit is £223.80 - and social benefits. 

Helen May-Peters from the SEQOL Stop Smoking Service, said: “We can all play an important role by helping our friends, family and colleagues to stop smoking, making home and work a happier and healthier place.

“Quitting smoking is one of the most significant health improvements a person can make.  There are still over 35,000 smokers in Swindon, which is why we’re calling on people to take part in the Stoptober challenge. The wide range of free support available and the collective efforts of colleagues and friends will help smokers complete the 28 day challenge.”

Smoking is still the biggest cause of preventable illness and premature deaths in the country - accounting for almost 80,000 deaths in England a year.  One in every two long-term smokers will die prematurely from a smoking-related disease unless they quit.  Last year, 1,119 people in Swindon joined the Stoptober campaign and stubbed out for 28 days.

Cherry Jones, Acting Director of Public Health at Swindon Council and chair of the Swindon Smokefree Alliance, said: “Stoptober is a great initiative, which helps to motivate and support smokers who want to quit. More and more people are trying to give up for health and financial reasons, which is fantastic. Working with our partners, including SEQOL, Public Health England and Smoke Free South West, we’re all pulling together to raise awareness of the impact of smoking and provide as much encouragement and help as possible for people to kick the habit.”

For more information and advice about how to quit, call freephone 0800 3892229 or 01793 465513, text 07881281797 or email besmokefree@seqol.org. To register for the Stoptober challenge go to www.smokefree.nhs.uk/Stoptober