SMOKING rates in Oxfordshire have gone up, despite the UK average being at a record low.

The Office for National Statistics announced this week that the percentage of adults in the UK who smoke dropped to 17.2 per cent in 2015 – the lowest figure ever recorded.

But at the same time the percentage of people in Oxfordshire who smoke went from about 13.4 per cent in 2014 to about 15.7 in 2015, the last figures available.

That is still below the national average, but equates to about 106,400 people from the county's 2015 population of 677,800.

The district with the most smokers was Cherwell with 20.5 per cent, up from 13.2 the year before.

Oxford also saw a small increase of 0.3 per cent up to 13.7 according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday.

The only district in the county where the proportion of smokers went down was South Oxfordshire, from 13.5 per cent to 9.5.

But the number of people trying to quit and succeeding also seems to be on the rise.

In the first six months of the 2016/ 17 financial year, 978 smokers successfully quit using the NHS Stop Smoking Service in Oxfordshire out of 2,410 who attempted it.

Compared to the number who tried (3,827) and reported that they succeeded (1,923) in the whole of 2015/ 16, it appears quit attempts using NHS help are on the rise.

Reacting to the apparent rise in smokers in the county in 2015, Jeremy Player, who helps run the Stop Smoking Service, said it was important to look at the long-term trend that in Oxfordshire, like the rest of the UK, the number of smokers has steadily been decreasing since the 1970s.

He said: "These stats are something we're aware of and we are constantly striving to reduce the number of smokers in the county.

"We tend to look at long-term trends but any fluctuations will always be taken into account.

"The long-term trend is that smoking rates are generally declining since records started."

Mr Player, assistant health improvement manager for Oxfordshire, said it was difficult to say why the number of smokers might go up in any year.

He added: "We need to look at the (ONS) data in a bit more detail."

The Stop Smoking Service for Oxfordshire is run by the county council and derived from its Public Health Grant.

For 2016/ 17 the county's budget for the service was £830,000.

Staff help people to quit by offering free 'nicotine replacement therapy' – patches, inhalors and gum – as well as free advice and support.

Find out more at oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/stopping-smoking-0 or call 01865 238036.