More and more people in West Yorkshire are giving up smoking.

Latest NHS figures show there has been a 28 per cent increase in the number of people quitting the habit in a year.

In 2004 there were 11,392 successful stoppers, up from 8,899 in 2003.

They have all succeeded after joining programmes set up by Stop Smoking Services across the region.

The Bradford service, based at the Leeds Road hospital, is one of the backers of the Telegraph & Argus Clear the Air campaign calling for the Government to impose an all-out ban on smoking in public places to cut death rates from cigarette-related diseases.

Their figures for the city are expected to be released this week.

Next month a series of workshops will be held in Brighouse, based on the West Yorkshire smoke-free homes campaign.

West Yorkshire Smoking and Health - the tobacco control alliance - began this campaign in 2002 and it is now spreading across the country.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint, launching World No Tobacco Day, today said: "The problem of smoking related disease is not confined to one country or one continent - it is a global issue that can be tackled by learning from the success of others.

"Giving up smoking is the single best thing anyone can do for their health.

"In the UK smoking causes over 100,000 deaths each year and treating smoking related diseases costs the NHS about £1.7 billion a year.

"By helping people give up smoking we can prevent serious diseases such as cancer and heart disease and will help to save thousands of lives each year."

Professor Paul Johnstone, regional director of public health for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "I am delighted that more than 25,000 people in our region have been helped to take a major step to improve their own health and have succeeded in stopping."