SMOKING rates in Yorkshire remain the highest in the country, according to new data shared by Yorkshire Cancer Research.

The statistics, published last week by Public Health England, reveal a smoking rate of 16.2 per cent in the region, significantly higher than the England average of 14.4 per cent.

The figures mean there are an estimated 700,000 smokers living in Yorkshire.

The area with the highest smoking rate is Hull, with 26.1 per cent of residents continuing the habit.

The data shows that smoking rates are continuing to slowly decrease over time. In 2011, 21.8 per cent of people in Yorkshire smoked.

However, rates in both Yorkshire and England have not yet reached the government’s 2020 target of 13 per cent. More than 137,000 people would need to quit smoking in Yorkshire if the region were to achieve this goal.

Dr Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research and Services at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “While it’s encouraging that rates are gradually declining, the statistics clearly show that smoking remains a huge issue in Yorkshire.

“Smoking causes at least 15 different types of cancer, including seven in 10 lung cancers. This means around 4,500 people are diagnosed with a smoking-related cancer every year in Yorkshire. We know that lung cancer is the most common cancer in our region. This differs from the national picture, where breast and prostate cancers affect more people than lung cancer.”

The benefits of quitting smoking can be noticed just 20 minutes after stopping, as the heart rate returns to normal. After one year, the risk of heart disease is about half compared with a person who is still smoking. After 10 years, the risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker. Quitting can also save smokers an average of £1,696 a year, according to the NHS.

Data provided by the Office of National Statistics shows that an estimated 270,000 people in Yorkshire regularly vape with more than half of vapers stating that the main reason they use e-cigarettes is as an aid to stop smoking. Yorkshire Cancer Research encourages smokers to consider using e-cigarettes as a tool to quit smoking through its Vape to Quit campaign. Vaping with e-cigarettes is at least 95% safer than smoking, according to an evidence review published by Public Health England.

Dr Griffiths added: “We are committed to improving the early diagnosis of lung cancer by helping to introduce screening in various parts of Yorkshire. But we’re also supporting those who wish to quit by investing in stop smoking services. Many smokers are unaware of the range of options available to them. Smokers are three times as likely to quit successfully with support than by using will power alone.”