A district in Oxfordshire has been named one of the ‘smoking capitals of the UK’ in a new study.
The Vale of White Horse saw the seventh largest increase in smokers between 2018 and 2021 out of anywhere else in the country.
The district, which includes Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage, saw an increase of 88.24 per cent over the period, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.
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In 2018, 6.8 per cent of people in the district smoked, rising to 12.8 per cent by 2021.
The largest increase in smokers was in Wychavon in Worcestershire (130.88 per cent) while Oxford was placed 15th (45.78 per cent).
The government smoking figures were analysed by the Go Smoke Free company.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday (Wednesday, October 5) announced a new smoking ban with plans to raise the legal age of smoking every year by a year so that eventually no-one can buy tobacco.
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