ONE person in the North West dies due to tobacco every 40 minutes, according to estimates from Cancer Research UK.

The new analysis has been released by the cancer charity on World No Tobacco Day (May 31).

The rate of people dying from tobacco in the region is higher than the England average.

Smoking remains the biggest cause of death in the North West and it’s estimated it’s responsible for around 7,300 cancer deaths each year. That’s around a third (32 per cent) of all cancer deaths in the region.

To mark World No Tobacco Day, Cancer Research UK is urging people to sign a petition as part of its Smokefree UK campaign which calls for more support from Government to help rapidly reduce smoking rates.

The charity warns that for each day ministers fail to stub out smoking, hundreds of lives will be needlessly lost nationwide.

A poster appeal in aid of the initiative can be seen in all 600 Cancer Research UK shops in the North West and across the UK. People can show their support by scanning a QR code in shop windows or signing the petition online.

The charity is urging the Prime Minister to establish a ‘Smokefree Fund’ to pay for interventions that will help drive down smoking rates, as well as alleviate pressures on local authorities and NHS waiting lists. In England alone, one person is admitted to hospital every minute due to smoking.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North West, Jane Bullock, said: “Smoking causes around 150 cases of cancer a day across the UK and in the North West 14.4 per cent of people still smoke. This is above the national average.

“Smoke-filled pubs, colourful cigarette packets and cigarette vending machines are all now things of the past. But from these shocking figures, it’s clear the distressing toll of tobacco is not - and that’s why we need the help of people across the region to make smoking history.

“Enough is enough. Most people who smoke want to quit, but they need more support. So, the UK Government must urgently deliver the funding needed to tackle the number one cause of death in the North West.

“Many of us know friends and family whose lives are at risk, or have lost loved ones to smoking, so we hope that as many supporters as possible will sign our vital petition to the Prime Minister. In a world without cancers caused by smoking, we can make more moments that matter and help people live longer, healthier lives, free from the fear of this devasting disease.”

Sign Cancer Research UK’s Smokefree UK petition at cruk.org/signpetition