THE number of smokers in Barrow ranks among the highest in England, new figures reveal.

According to the recently-published Public Health England (PHE) statistics, the Furness town has the tenth-highest proportion of smokers in its population out of the more-than-300 districts surveyed across the country.

21.4 per cent of residents in Barrow are smokers - almost double the the national average rate of 13.9 per cent.

The North West emerged as one of the worst-offending regions in the data, having the fourth-highest rate of smoking prevalence among England’s regions.

The data shows that 22 out of the North West’s 39 districts are above the average smoking rate nationwide.

Barrow has the third-highest level within the North West, with only Blackpool (23.4 per cent, with the fourth-highest rate nationally) and Burnley (21.5 per cent, recording the ninth-highest rate nationally) having higher rates of smokers among their respective populations.

Public health bosses said the new data provided a detailed look at where within the region and the county smoking remains an issue and how successful NHS services have been at encouraging smoking cessation − the ‘quit rate’.

Last year, the county council encouraged the remaining smokers in Cumbria to make a quit attempt and join more than 25,000 people who have already quit since 2012.

At the time, Cumbria's director of public health, Colin Cox, said: "Since 2012, smoking prevalence among adults in Cumbria has reduced significantly. We’re heading in the right direction to a healthier and smoke free Cumbria.

“Quitting is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you. Each year smoking contributes to over 2,000 deaths in Cumbria in people over 35.

“Support is available from a variety of places including local stop smoking services, GPs, pharmacies and the Stoptober and NHS Smokefree websites."

A March PHE report also found that vaping - a less harmful battery-powered e-cigarette, but by no means harm-free - was on the rise in England.