Doctors are being given more than £9,000 to help some of the 1,060 smokers in Oxfordshire prisons kick their habit.

About 80 per cent of inmates at Bullingdon, near Bicester, and at Huntercombe Young Offenders Institution, near Wallingford, are smokers -- almost three times the rate in the UK population.

The Department of Health wants to help those in prison and detention centres quit their habit, and has handed out the money as part of the newly launched Aquitted scheme.

The cash will be used to start smoking cessation services and offer nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches and gum, in prisons -- just like services run in the community.

North East Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust has been given £6,592 to set up a quitting service at Bullingdon, where there are 963 inmates.

Maggie Dent, public health manager for north Oxfordshire, said: "We aim to offer prisoners the same opportunities to give up smoking as any other member of the public.

"We know there are a number of prisoners who want to give up and we will be offering nicotine replacement therapy and one-to-one support from trained staff."

The initiative will be launched at a health promotion day at Bullingdon Prison on Thursday, March 11.

Anne Lindsay, the prison's head of health care, said: "Our aim is to promote health awareness among prisoners and to encourage the adoption of a healthy lifestyle."

South East Oxfordshire PCT has been awarded £2,519 for a similar scheme to help some of Huntercombe's 368 young detainees.

Jean Bradshaw, south Oxfordshire's public health director, said: "The money will be used to train prison officers and staff to become smoking cessation advisers and support trainees to stop smoking."