NEW figures from Action on Smoking and Health show that of the 778,000 households in the South East that include an adult smoker, 175,000 (23 per cent) are below the poverty line.

An estimated 57,000 households could be lifted out of poverty if they quit smoking. These households comprise around 155,000 people, including 39,000 children and 25,000 pensioners. On average, households that include a smoker spend £2,158 per year on tobacco.

The figures were published at the end of October alongside a health inequalities toolkit advising local authorities and the NHS on how to reduce smoking rates among those experiencing such inequalities.

Most people start smoking as teenagers and after a year of smoking 85 percent say they would find it difficult to quit. Smokers often try to quit many times before they are successful, but those from disadvantaged backgrounds face particular barriers as they are more likely to be addicted and live in communities where smoking rates are high. These smokers often need more support than others to successfully quit.

Professor John Moxham, professor of respiratory medicine at King’s College London School of Medicine, said: “Smoking disproportionately affects the most disadvantaged in society and is one of the major reasons that poorer people get ill and die younger.

“Smokers from poorer backgrounds tend to start younger and are more likely to become more highly addicted, with their addiction contributing to ongoing poverty. The Government must support local authorities to end these unacceptable inequalities.”