Smokers in a Kent district with the UK's highest proportion of women still lighting up are divided over government plans to crack down on the habit.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), more than a quarter of women in Folkestone and Hythe are still puffing away on cigarettes – despite Downing Street’s best efforts to deter people.

KentOnline visited Folkestone town centre, where some smokers told us they wished they had never taken up the habit – while others said they should have the freedom to do what they want.

Beverley Cooper, 33, says she backs the Prime Minister’s plans to phase out smoking – saying it could have stopped her from ever starting.

Rishi Sunak announced last week that the age at which people can buy cigarettes, currently 18, will be raised by a year every single year. It means that those now 14 or younger would never legally be able to buy them.

Ms Cooper told KentOnline: “It’s a good idea and it could have stopped me.

“I started smoking when I was 14 and it’s really hard to quit. I wish I hadn’t started.

“The smoking age was 16 then, so the older the minimum age gets the harder it will be for the younger generation to start.

“And when you’re older you have a bit more sense and you probably wouldn't in the first place.”

Eve Draper, 18, who is a light smoker, said: “I think it needs to be done considering the young people smoking nowadays. It’s definitely a positive thing.

“I have tried to give up a few times. It hasn’t worked but I’m going to keep trying and hopefully get there in the future.

”I’m only young so it’s probably easier for me.”

But not all smokers in the high street backed the Prime Minister’s plans to wean the whole country off the habit.

Josie Rossiter, 24, said: “I don’t think it’s right. I think people should be able to smoke if they want to.”

Her friend Sarah Lee, 30, added: “Who gets violent on cigarettes? Should they ban alcohol instead?”

The ONS data also reveals that Folkestone and Hythe is the smoking capital of Kent.

The rate for the district is 18.9% of adults, which is also the third highest percentage in the south east.

It is also way above the average for the whole of England, which is 12.7%.

According to the ONS, while 27.4% of women in Folkestone and Hythe smoke, the figure for men is just 7.1%.

Another in Folkestone who still uses cigarettes, Draven Atkins, told KentOnline he believes Rishi Sunak’s plans are unworkable.

“It’s going to cause people to just buy illegally or from abroad. It’s not going to work,” he said.

“It’s also taking away liberties away from us.

“There is so much stress in life – some people have to smoke to get over that.”

But non-smoker Mark Jones hailed the Prime Minister’s approach and says he wishes action had been taken sooner.

“It’s very good. They should ban it totally,” he said.

In Kent, almost all districts have seen falls in smoking rates over the last eight years.

The rate for Dover fell by almost two-thirds from 29.7% in 2015 and Medway’s two-and-a-half times from 22.3%.

The only district that bucked the trend was Folkestone and Hythe, which saw the percentage rise from 15.8%.

Downing Street says it expects its plans will mean up to 1.7 million fewer people smoking by 2075. There will be a free vote on this in Parliament but it is not yet known when that will be.

It is the biggest move against smoking in this country since the lighting of cigarettes was banned in all UK enclosed public places, including pubs, on July 1, 2007.

Mr Sunak last week also pledged to crack down on the sale of disposable vapes to children.

The Prime Minister said: “As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends right now is the rise in vaping amongst children – one in five children have used vapes.

“We must act before it becomes endemic.

“So we will also bring forward measures to restrict the availability of vapes to our children, looking at flavours, packaging displays and disposable vapes.”

Smoking causes around one in five cancer cases and more than one in four cancer deaths each year in the UK.

Almost six million people in England still smoke.

This month sees the return of the NHS’ Stoptober campaign to encourage people to give up cigarettes.

It shows ways to quit and gives tips for people, such as listing reasons and getting support from those around them.

Kent County Council also has a cessation service.

Its website details the help you can get, including advisers discussing the best options for individuals.