THE number of people smoking in the South Lakes is below the national average, according to new healthcare figures.

Recently-published Public Health England (PHE) statistics reveal that 12.4 per cent of the area's residents are smokers - as opposed to the national mean rate of 13.9 per cent.

The North West, however, emerged as one of the worst-offending regions in the data, having the fourth-highest rate of smoking prevalence among England’s regions.

PHE data shows that 22 out of the North West’s 39 districts are above the average smoking rate nationwide.

But, as areas like the South Lakes demonstrate, the picture created by the PHE data for Cumbria points to a 'story of two halves' in the south of the county.

The South Lakes was ranked 27 out of the 39 districts for smoking prevalence, and 190th out of the 315 districts surveyed across England.

The proportion of smokers in Barrow, by contrast, ranks among the highest in England, according to the recently-published PHE figures.

The Furness town has the tenth-highest proportion of smokers in its population out of the more-than-300 districts surveyed across the country.

21.4 per cent of residents in Barrow are smokers - almost double the the national average.

Barrow has the third-highest level within the North West, with only Blackpool (23.4 per cent, with the fourth-highest rate nationally) and Burnley (21.5 per cent, recording the ninth-highest rate nationally) having higher rates of smokers among their respective populations.

Public health bosses said the new data provided a detailed look at where within the region and the county smoking remains an issue and how successful NHS services have been at encouraging smoking cessation − the ‘quit rate’.

Last year, the county council encouraged the remaining smokers in Cumbria to make a quit attempt and join more than 25,000 people who have already quit since 2012.

At the time, Cumbria's director of public health, Colin Cox, said: "Since 2012, smoking prevalence among adults in Cumbria has reduced significantly. We’re heading in the right direction to a healthier and smoke free Cumbria.

“Quitting is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you. Each year smoking contributes to over 2,000 deaths in Cumbria in people over 35.

“Support is available from a variety of places including local stop smoking services, GPs, pharmacies and the Stoptober and NHS Smokefree websites."

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates 27.5 per cent of adults have quit smoking in the South Lakes.

According to the ONS data, men were found to be more likely to smoke than women – nearly 15 per cent of males were smokers, compared to 10 per cent of females.

In its long-term attempt to help smoking residents stem the habit, NHS services across the North West have recorded a 2.04% ‘quit rate’ – above the average achieved across England (1.89%).

A March PHE report also found that vaping - a less harmful battery-powered e-cigarette, but by no means harm-free - was on the rise in England.