Hull smokers have been urged to seize this year’s No Smoking Day message – Today’s The Day – and seek support to stop.
The city still has some of the highest smoking rates in the country and, while these are falling slowly, health experts say there is still “a long way to go”.
Hull’s Director of Public Health, Julia Weldon, said she hoped No Smoking Day could give Hull smokers the momentum to quit.
She said: “While Hull’s smoking rates have always been above the national average, they have been consistently falling for many years, but we still have a long way to go.
“A huge amount of work goes on nationally, regionally and locally to tackle the causes of smoking and support people to stop. We think and work innovatively to address all the factors which contribute to people smoking and are committed to creating a future generation where smoking is not the norm.
“Within the past two years, we’ve implemented smoke-free playgrounds and school gates as well as sidelines at junior football games both here and in East Riding. We offer a full service for people who want to quit, including nicotine replacement therapies and support in whatever way works for them, whether it’s group meetings, one-on-ones or text.
“Our environmental health officers work closely with police to target illicit tobacco and have taken hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of illegal cigarettes and tobacco pouches off the streets in the past few months alone.
“I cannot stress strongly enough how dangerous smoking is. Every month, 40 people in Hull die of smoking-related conditions. One in two who take up the habit will develop a fatal condition as a result. The risks are so high it’s just not worth it. The children of smokers are also at greater risk of taking it up and of being exposed to second-hand smoke”.
Find local support from Smokefree Hull, including gum, patches and face-to-face support, here.
