It comes as public health charity Action on Smoking and Health urged the Government to bring forward its bill to end the sale of tobacco and to create a generation "free from the harms of smoking". Based on the 417 respondents to the Office for National Statistics’ annual population survey in Wigan , an estimated 11.3 per cent of adults in the area were smokers in 2023 – down from 14.
7 per cent the year before and the lowest since local records began in 2012. The survey asked people if they "smoke cigarettes nowadays." The figures also showed 29.
9 per cent of adults in Wigan were ex-smokers, while 58.7 per cent have never smoked. Across the UK, smoking levels reached their lowest level since national records began in 2011, with 11.
9 per cent of adults saying they smoked cigarettes. In the North West, 11.8 per cent smoked.
ASH chief executive Hazel Cheeseman said the figures are proof the country is "ready to be smoke-free". She added: "There is cross-party support for ending the sale of tobacco and creating a generation free from the harms of smoking and Government should bring forward the bill as soon as possible." Despite the progress, she said there is still more to be done.
She added: "Our poorest communities continue to pay the price for tobacco company profits, as do our public services and economy. "Alongside creating a smoke-free generation, the Government must maintain the commitment of the last Government to invest in support to help the 6 million people current.
