Mapped: Britain’s smoking strongholds where rates have gone UP – despite vapes overtaking cigarettes

There are more smokers in seven regions of England than there were 14 years ago, according to a Daily Mail analysis of official figures.

According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, the proportion of adults admitting to smoking nationwide in England was just 9.1% last year, down from 10.5% in 2023 and only a fraction of the almost 50% in the 1970s.

But data shows the biggest increase in the number of tobacco users has been seen in East Staffordshire; The population, which was 10.7% of the population in 2012, increased by 6.6% to 17.3% in 2024.

South Holland in Lincolnshire (+3.7%) is in second place, with Exeter (+2.7%) and Babergh (+2.7%) in third place.

At the other end of the scale, smoking rates in Folkestone, Hythe and Stevenage boroughs fell by 20.8 per cent; This was the highest decrease in the country.

Close behind are Dover (-18.9%) and Stratford-upon-Avon (-16.4%), where just 6.2% of the population smokes, compared to 25.1% in 2012.

Legal tobacco sales have fallen 45% since 2021, but the number of smokers has fallen by only less than 1%.

Repeated tax increases on tobacco products have driven many people out of the legal market and led people who still smoke to seek cheaper alternatives.

New figures show 5.4 million adults in the UK are using e-cigarettes, surpassing first-time smokers.

The government has announced new plans aimed at curbing the rise in vaping, alongside a range of measures aimed at further reducing smoking figures.

The latest iteration of this – the Tobacco and Electronic Cigarettes Bill – is currently making its way through the House of Lords.

The bill makes it illegal for anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, to purchase tobacco. It also includes powers to restrict the packaging, marketing and flavors of e-cigarettes.

It was signed by more than 1,200 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and public health managers.

Daily e-cigarette use is highest in Great Britain among those aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 49, at 9.3% and 9.5% respectively.

But overall use remained highest among young people aged 16-24, 13% of whom vaped daily or occasionally.

This is despite the sale of e-cigarettes to under-18s being banned and anyone caught flogging these products to children is threatened with fines and prosecution by Trading Standards.

Campaigners have long called for much tougher regulations on e-cigarettes; including an immediate ban on marketing to children, which is most popular among young people.

They blamed predatory manufacturers for the ever-growing crisis and claimed they were deliberately luring children with colorful packaging rather than kid-friendly flavors like highlighters, gum and cotton candy.

Vaping is not without risks, despite NHS chiefs insisting it is safer than smoking. E-cigarettes contain harmful toxins, and their long-term effects remain a mystery.

Experts worry that high nicotine content could lead to high blood pressure and other heart problems.

Additionally, the government is planning to tighten restrictions on the sale of plastic bags across the country to prevent widespread use among children and youth.

Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, told the Daily Mail: ‘The general trend across the country of fewer people smoking is positive and will lead to reduced disease and premature deaths from tobacco.

‘But the smoking rate remains higher in certain groups, generally those who are socially disadvantaged and those experiencing serious mental illness, and we need a big push to encourage more people to quit smoking over the next few years.

‘Data from HMRC shows a significant reduction in the illicit tobacco trade. Between 2000/01 and 2023/24 the number of illicit cigarettes consumed in the UK fell by almost 90%, thanks to strong control efforts and the reduction of cigarette consumption.

‘The only way to completely eradicate the illicit tobacco trade is to help the UK’s 6 million smokers quit. Increasing tobacco taxes is one of the most effective ways to achieve this.’

But Simon Clark, director of smokers’ rights group Forest, said ONS data showed the government’s efforts to achieve a ‘smoke-free Britain’ were likely to backfire.

‘Recently, products such as electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches have encouraged millions of smokers to switch and voluntarily quit smoking by offering less risky alternatives to cigarettes.

‘In contrast, there is no evidence that anti-smoking measures such as cigarette bans, plain packaging or bans on menthol cigarettes are significant factors in reducing smoking rates.’

Mr Clark added: ‘A generational ban on tobacco sales could halt or even reverse the long-term decline in smoking rates.

‘Far from realizing the government’s ambition for a smoke-free Britain, banning tobacco sales to future generations of adults will fuel the black market and encourage more people to smoke as a form of soft rebellion.

‘People are fed up with the government dictating how they live their lives, and further intervention could do more harm than good.’

British American Tobacco (BAT), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cigarettes and nicotine products, said the statistics were encouraging but there was more to be done.

BAT UK and Western Europe President Aslı Ertonguç told the Daily Mail: ‘The latest ONS figures represent a significant milestone in the Government’s ambition to go smoke-free. But a proposed ban on advertising and communication of less harmful products, such as e-cigarettes, risks jeopardizing this progress.

‘If we want a smoke-free UK, we must continue to educate smokers and give them the confidence to explore less harmful alternatives to smoking, rather than reducing their visibility.’

The company, which carries the slogan ‘Building a better tomorrow through a smoke-free world’, generated just 18% of its £12bn revenue in the first half of the year from smoke-free products.