SMOKERS are being encouraged to put down the cigarettes for good as Stoptober campaign kicks off today.

Yorkshire Smokefree has over one hundred clinics across the region with weekly group and one-to-one sessions available along with telephone and online support.

Nationally, the Stoptober campaign has driven over 1.9 million quit attempts and is the biggest mass-quit attempt in the country.

Those who choose to quit with the support of their local stop smoking service are four times more likely to quit successfully.

In addition to telephone and online support, assistance is available through daily emails and text alerts, Facebook messenger and lots of encouragement from the Yorkshire Smokefree online community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Sue Jones, Yorkshire Smokefree Stop Smoking Specialist, said: “My advice to anyone that smokes would be to join the thousands of others kicking the habit this Stoptober. Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for yours and your family’s health.

"Yorkshire Smokefree offers free help to quit, with six out of ten smokers successfully quitting for four weeks. Join the campaign and get the right help today.”

Coun Jim Andrews, Barnsley Council Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health, said: “Stoptober is a great opportunity to quit smoking for good, with plenty of help and support available.

"In 2016, 79.4 percent of Barnsley adults didn’t smoke, and in 2018, that figure increased to 82.6%. That’s a fantastic improvement, but we want this year to be our best year yet.

“If you want to quit, get in touch with Yorkshire Smokefree or visit the Stoptober website for support.”