Public Health England hails successful conclusion of Stoptober 2015

The government has brought its 2015 Stoptober smoking cessation campaign to a conclusion, hailing the success of this year's initiative.

Public Health England has revealed that more than 215,000 smokers signed up to this year's 28-day mass quitting challenge, which is based on research that those who stop smoking for four weeks are five times more likely to quit for good.

The latest official figures show smoking rates across England have fallen dramatically since the mid-1980s, dropping from one-third of the population in 1985 to less than one-fifth now.

Additionally, the number of households that include a smoker has fallen from 50 percent in 1985 to 21 percent in 2013. The Stoptober campaign was launched in 2012 in an effort to bring this figure down further.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Public Health England's chief medical officer, said: "Congratulations to those who have made it 28 days smoke free this Stoptober: your body will already be feeling the benefits and I urge you to remain strong and stop for good."

There are still around eight million smokers in England, with the habit causing almost 80,000 deaths per year.