AN AMBITIOUS campaign to halve the number of smokers in the next decade has been launched, as latest figures reveal that Bournemouth has one of the highest rates of new cases of lung cancer in the South West.

Although 211,035 smokers in the region have kicked the habit with NHS support since 2000, almost 35 per cent of its 16- to 24-year-olds smoke – the worst in England.

Despite years of hard-hitting education campaigns, health warnings and gruesome pictures on cigarette packets, 45 teenagers start smoking every day in the South West.

Also of concern is that one in 10 of the region’s adults still think second-hand smoke has little or no impact on children’s health, and 17 per cent of its pregnant women continue to smoke.

Now the aim is to reduce the proportion of smokers of all ages in the region from 21 per cent to single figures by 2020.

Fiona Andrews, director of Smokefree South West, said: “The fact that there are still thousands of smoking-related deaths each year shows that in the South West, the epidemic is far from resolved.

“Under the new strategy, even more people will be encouraged to get free professional support from their local NHS Stop Smoking Service.”

Among measures being taken at a national level are a crackdown on cheap illicit cigarettes and stopping the sale of cigarettes from vending machines to deter young people from taking up smoking.

There will be an immediate investment in additional overseas officers in a bid to stop the illegal import of 200 million cigarettes into the UK, and promotion of smoke-free cars and homes.

The government is also going to consider the case for plain packaging and extending the smoking ban on enclosed public places and workplaces to areas such as entrances to buildings.

Bournemouth, Bristol, Plymouth and Swindon have the highest rates of new lung cancer in the South West.

Last year, more than 32,000 people in the region successfully quit through the NHS.