A FREE public health talk at Great Western Hospital is being held to help people quit smoking.

The Public Health Awareness evening is inviting smokers, and their family and loved ones, to learn about the most effective methods to quit smoking and the kinds of services available locally.

Representatives from stop smoking initiatives will even help people get the levels of carbon monoxide in their breath measured, as well as giving out advice about using substitutes like e-cigarettes.

A report by the charity Action on Smoking and Health recently revealed that smoking costs Swindon £48m a year when all expenses are added up.

This is broken down into the cost to the local economy, which stands at £33m a year through sick days, treatment costs, cigarette breaks and early retirement.

It costs a further £10m to Swindon's NHS Trusts every year, and £4.8m in extra social care expenses.

In Swindon, an estimated 15 per cent of adults in the town were smokers in 2016.

The talk at Great Western Hospital will take place on Thursday October 18, from 6pm to 8pm in lecture hall 1. There is no need to book in advance.