Smokers in Swale are being encouraged to quit as part of a national drive as figures reveal one in five adults in the borough regularly light up.

Stoptober hopes to get people to give up the cigarettes for the month of October – and then keep it up.

Smoking is the single biggest killer in the UK, with half of long-term smokers dying early from a related disease.

Last year in the borough there were 226 smoking-related deaths, more than the national average of 201 for the same-sized population.

The number of mums-to-be smoking while pregnant is also higher, with 18.2% (307) in Swale compared to 13.3% nationally.

Experts say someone who quits in Stoptober and doesn’t take it up again could gain an extra seven days of life, every 28 days for the rest of their life.

It’s estimated giving up will save the average smoker almost £2,000 a year.

Kent Community Health NHS Trust’s stop smoking team has launched a quitting club which holds sessions at the Healthy Living Centre, Sheerness.

• To sign up to Stoptober and receive a free stop-smoking pack, go to www.smokefree.nhs.uk/Stoptober
• For more information on the club, call free on 0800 849 4444 or text QUIT to 87023.