£50 a month for smokers who quit

A SCHEME offering hand-outs of £50 a month to smokers trying to quit the habit is to be launched in Angus this weekend.

NHS Tayside's smoking cessation quit4u scheme was first piloted by the health authority in Dundee in 2009.

More than 1,000 people signed up for the chance to be rewarded for stubbing out cigarettes for good.

Under the scheme, smokers who successfully kick their nicotine addiction receive vouchers for 12.50 a week for a maximum of three months.

But they also have to pass weekly carbon monoxide breath tests at their local pharmacy to prove they are still smoke-free.

NHS Tayside has now announced that the scheme is to be extended into Angus and the initiative will be officially launched this weekend in Arbroath during the town's Sea Festival.