ABOUT a quarter of the people living in West Somerset are smokers. And health experts are warning of a 'smoking eipidemic' if more don't give up the weed.
In fact, more than a third of us have kicked the habit, according to a new survey by Government health experts. But this is not enough.
The situation is worse in other areas, particularly cities and the north of England, where smokers make up more than 30% of the population.
The Health Development Agency estimates the percentage of deaths attributable to smoking in the South-West is 28% - that's 8,300 people a year. The shock figures have been published in the HDA report, 'The Smoking Epidemic in England'.
For the full story, see this week's West Somerset County Gazette.
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