Cancer survivor hails falling number of smokers

Sue Mountain was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer at 48 after smoking for 37 years

A cancer survivor has said a huge fall in the number of people smoking in her home region is "incredible news".

Only 11% of adults living in north-east England smoked in 2023, according to the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The figure is the second lowest in the country and a huge decrease compared with 2004, when 29% of adults in the region smoked - the highest in England.

Sue Mountain, from South Tyneside, was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer at 48 but said the news meant people would not have to suffer from "the misery of cancer from smoking".

"For people who smoke, it gives hope," said Ms Mountain, who first started smoking when she was 11.

"We now know so much about the terrible impact smoking has on health. This is the harsh reality of an addiction.

"People are getting diseases like cancer and COPD far too young. I don't want one person going through what I did."

Cost of smoking

In 2023, 11.6% of adults in England smoked.

Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest percentage of smokers at 12.7%, while the South East had the lowest at 10.6%.

But according to anti-smoking charity Fresh, the habit is still the North East's biggest cause of cancer and preventable deaths.

The charity estimates it costs the region £2.35bn every year.

Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, said the reduction in smoking was something the charity could not have imagined 20 years ago, but said there was still more work to be done.

"Smoking is still our number one killer and rates are much higher in key groups, including people with mental illness and those living in poorer communities," she said.

"Rates of lung cancer are still rising among women.

"We still need concerted action now at local, regional and national levels to reduce adult smoking to 5% by 2030."