More smokers stub out habit

THE number of smokers in the Lothians is set to fall to its lowest ever rate, despite the figure rising last year.

Local health chiefs were alarmed when an in-depth survey found the proportion of smokers grew from 21 to 25 per cent last year, bucking a decades-long trend.

But this has now been attributed to the recession and influx of eastern European migrant workers, of whom around half are thought to smoke.

Dr Dermot Gorman, a public health consultant, said: "We ensure help is available for people who want to stop."