A SMOKING map of Britain has revealed an East Lancashire town has the second highest number of tobacco addicts in the country.

The map, which has been produced by Smoke Free Future, shows that 24.8 per cent of the people living in Burnley are smokers, making it the town with the second highest number of smokers in the United Kingdom.

The place with the most smokers in the country is Kingston upon Hull, where 26.1% of residents are partial to a cigarette.

But while Lancashire is home to some of the most densely populated areas, the town with the smallest percentage of smokers in all of England, Scotland and Wales is also situated in the county.

With only eight per cent of the population claiming to be smokers, Chorley is the place is the UK where the fewest smokers live.

Dr Stuart Berry, GP lead for respiratory conditions at East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, was keen to point out the benefits smokers can gain from quitting, after hearing about the alarmingly high figures in Burnley.

He said: “The health benefits that come from quitting smoking are extensive. Though quitting can be difficult I encourage you to persevere because it is worth it.

“No one is alone in trying to quit smoking – help is out there for everyone. We have clinics around the region that can offer advice on how to quit; tips on how to manage tricky situations and medication that is proven to help reduce the cravings for cigarettes.

“With the support of your local NHS Stop Smoking Service, smokers are four times more likely to succeed in stopping smoking than if they go ‘cold turkey’."

Elsewhere in East Lancashire only 9.3 per cent of people living in the Ribble Valley admitted to being smokers and in Blackburn, Darwen, Rossendale and Pendle the number is 10.5 per cent.