Just 18 pct of England population now smoke cigarettes: official

Less than one-in-five Britons are now smokers, according to figures from Public Health England (PHE) revealed Friday.

The official health agency in England said there has been a 37 percent drop in cigarette smoking over last 30 years, highlighting Britain's progress towards becoming a smokefree nation.

Figures from PHE showed that over 215,000 smokers signed up to the country's 28-day mass quitting challenge during October. The heavily promoted campaign, known as Stoptober, backed by television celebrities, urging people to pledge to quit cigarettes, came to an end on Friday.

Latest official figures showed rates across England have fallen dramatically from a third of the population in 1985 to less than a fifth now (18 percent), PHE said in a statement.

"The significant decline in smoking can also be seen in the reduction in the number of households that include a smoker, from half (50 percent) in 1985, to 21 percent in 2013," the statement added.

Health officials said that since 1985, there have been many changes both in attitudes and introduced through government legislation.

Tobacco advertising is no longer allowed in Britain, laws ensure work and public places are smoke-free, and tobacco displays must be covered up in all shops. Just recently it was made illegal to smoke in a car if children are aboard the vehicle.

"However, there are still around 8 million smokers in England and smoking causes almost 80,000 deaths per year. Treating smoking related diseases is estimated to cost the NHS two billion pounds (three billion U.S. dollars) each year," said PHE.

Research showed that people who stop smoking for 28 days are five times more likely to stop for good. Endit