Town's smoking rates halve, figures suggest

Smoking rates among UK adults have been falling over the past decade

The number of people smoking in a town may have more than halved in a year, according to official estimates.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest fewer than 10% of people in Barrow, Cumbria, smoked in 2023 compared with 21% in the previous 12 months.

Across the county, ONS figures suggest a drop in smoking from 13% to one in ten people, but there was a note of caution that sample sizes could skew figures slightly.

However Colin Cox, formerly director of public health for the whole of Cumbria, called the overall downward trend "excellent news".

Caroline Hartle started smoking when she was 14, but quit last year

Cleaner Caroline Hartle, from Barrow, said she began smoking when she was 14 due to "peer pressure" and she would have about 20 cigarettes each day.

Now 52, she managed to quit last year after attending a programme run by Westmorland and Furness Council.

"It was amazing and changed my life," she said, "and now my sister and my best friend have stopped as well.

"My breathing is better, I can walk further, I'm not wheezing and it just feels like I have more time to do things."

Ms Hartley is not surprised there has been a fall in smoking in her town.

"When I was a kid, everyone started and you could smoke in pubs. These days the young ones seem to think more about their health, which is good," she said.

Vaping effect

Mr Cox, who is now director of public health and communities at Cumberland Council following Cumbria County Council's split into two unitary authorities last year, said that while the figures from the ONS may not provide a precise guide, it was clear "things are moving in the right direction".

"Each of these figures is based on a sample of a hundred people or so [per district], so they do vary year on year," he said.

"There's been a downward trend for many, many years now so it's really good news.

"I think vaping has made a big difference and there are quite a lot of people switching to vaping, but that's not a bad thing.

"If you're a smoker there is no doubt switching to vaping is much better in the long term for your health, well-being and wallet.

"What we don't want people to do is take up vaping if they've never smoked."

Mr Cox told BBC Radio Cumbria both councils in the county had invested "considerably more in the last 18 months in stop smoking services" and made them more accessible.

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