THE number of smokers in the south west is the lowest in the country.

Public Health England looked into the number of smokers and found the area had a smoking rate of 13.9 per cent – the average is 14.4 per cent. That equates to around 30,000 fewer smokers than the England average.

As previously reported in the Adver, Swindon was found to be the worst at 17.9 per cent, followed by Plymouth at 17 per cent and Bristol at 16.3 per cent.

As smoking numbers are falling, hospital admissions have been rising. In 2016/17 there were 484,700 admissions, up nine per cent from a decade before.

For hospital admissions on smoking-related issues Swindon came third, with Bournemouth at the top and Bristol in second.

E-cigarettes have become the most popular route to stop smoking.

PHE says that vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than tobacco and can double the chances of people stopping all together.