THE SMOKING figures have been released and show Redditch has the lowest in Worcestershire.
The town has a rate of 9.8 per cent which puts it at 263 out of 315 in England and 28th in the West Midlands – beaten in the region only by South Staffordshire (9.4 per cent) and Lichfield (5.4 per cent).
Bromsgrove and Wychavon both have a rate of 10.8 per cent while Birmingham’s is 14.8, putting it 114th nationally.
The highest smoking rate in Worcestershire is Malvern with 11.6 per cent, putting it 210th nationally.
The worst places in the West Midlands are Tamworth at 19.4 per cent and Stoke-on-Trent at 18.2.
The figures were collated by Vape Club in a campaign to encourage smoking cessation and they were sourced from official Public Health England statistics released in July.
The number of smokers in the West Midlands successfully quitting was at 1.12 per cent – below England’s average of 1.89.
But in Worcestershire the quit rate was just 0.12 per cent – the second lowest out of 213 districts in England.
Dan Marchant, smoking cessation expert and Director of Vape Club, said: “More and more people are starting to see that vaping offers a game-changing alternative to traditional smoking cessation methods.
“Figures show that vaping is actually twice as effective as other nicotine replacement products, and it is fantastic to see organisations such as Public Health England and the NHS embracing this public health breakthrough.
“However, there is clearly still a long way to go in getting the vaping message out to the millions of people still smoking in England.”
