According to public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), approximately 10 million adults in the UK smoke cigarettes – which equates to around one-sixth of the total population. Sixty per cent of smokers say they would find it hard to last a whole day without smoking, while 69 per cent have their first cigarette within one hour of waking.

Despite this obvious addiction, surveys reveal that around two-thirds of smokers would like to stop smoking, but only 30 to 40 per cent make any attempt to quit within a given year. This represents an excellent opportunity for pharmacies to support smokers and recommend various stop smoking aids.

There is no doubt that fewer people smoke now than in the past. In 2002, 26 per cent of adults aged 16 and over smoked, while in 2012, that figure was down to 20 per cent, according to the NHS Information Centre. The rate of decline has slowed in recent years, however, and smoking rates have fallen little since 2007.

Smoking prevalence is highest among younger age groups (29 per cent of 20 to 24-year-olds smoke) and among people who have manual occupations. Smoking is also higher in certain ethnic groups, such as Bangladeshi men, and Irish men and women.

The number of teenage smokers, although declining, remains a concern. According to 2013 figures from the NHS Information Centre, 22 per cent of pupils surveyed said they had tried smoking at least once. This is the lowest level recorded since the survey began in 1982, when 42 per cent of pupils admitted to having tried smoking. Despite this declining figure, around two-thirds of current smokers began smoking before the age of 18.