Fewer smokers across Sussex are looking for help to kick the habit.

New figures show the number of people signing up the NHS stop smoking courses across the county has fallen from 19,417 to 17,753 in one year.

Out of these, the number who managed to successfully give up dropped from 10,117 to 8,806.

Cigarette smoking is the greatest single cause of illness and premature death in the country.

The deaths are mainly due to cancers, chronic obstructive |pulmonary disease and heart disease.


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About half of all smokers die from smoking-related diseases and it can cut people’s life expectancy by ten years.

The latest information, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, is based on numbers from the past two years.

In Brighton and Hove, 3,529 people signed up to a course between April 2012 and the end of March compared to 4,129 over the same period the year before.

More than 2,040 successfully gave up compared to 2,353 in the year up to March 2012.

It also emerged earlier this year that on average up to 20 children in Brighton and Hove are starting smoking every week.

Health bosses in the city say everything possible is being done to help people give up smoking.

They are also targeting children in a bid to stop them taking up the habit in the first place.

A Brighton and Hove City |Council spokesman said: “Stop smoking services are available across the city in GP surgeries, pharmacies and also in the community.

“Electronic cigarettes are increasing in popularity which is the main factor in the slight reduction of people attending stop smoking clinics, but the success rate remains high in Brighton & Hove at 58% in 2012/13 compared to the England rate of 52%.”

Services include stop smoking clinics in the community and in workplaces and advice and support is also available for pregnant women looking to give up.

The Government’s decision to call a temporary halt on plans to introduce plain packaging on cigarette packets was widely criticised by campaigners earlier this year.

More information about services available in Sussex can be found at www.smokefree.nhs.uk or by calling 0800 0224332.