It is disappointing to report today that despite years and years of education programmes, almost 10% of 15-year-olds in the Bradford district class themselves as smokers.

The lethal consequences of smoking are plain for all to see, and starting at an early age undoubtedly increases the chances of contracting a fatal disease later in life.

There is no doubt that 30 or 40 years ago, the figure would have been much higher, and it is clear we are moving in the right direction.

And the statistic showing that close to 75% of 15-year-olds say they have never even tried a cigarette is a very welcome one.

But the 25% that have, and the 9.5% describing themselves as smokers, still represents thousands of teenagers becoming addicted to this filthy habit.

The figures do seem to show that the education programme is slowly having an impact, but there is still a lot to be done to protect our children from nicotine.

And that means tackling it from two angles.

The message needs to continue to get through to young people in a form that they can accept that smoking is not only anti-social and unpleasant, there is a good chance it will eventually cause them long-term health issues and could kill them.

Equally importantly, traders need to be dealt with strongly if they persist in allowing under-age smokers to buy cigarettes from them.

If both of these strands are tackled successfully, then there is no reason why the ambitious aim of the Breathe 2025 campaign of a smoke-free generation of young people across Yorkshire and Humber cannot become a reality.