There are fewer people smoking than 10 years ago but the cost of smoking to the NHS has risen by a staggering £1billion.

And one Kent expert believes that is because we are simply getting better at treating smoking-related conditions.

A new study by the anti-smoking lobbyist ASH has been examining just how much the NHS has to spend nationwide on people who smoke, compared with those who never have.

Back in 1998, around 28 per cent of the English population smoked, and the cost of smoking to the NHS was estimated at £1.7billion.

Ten years later, and that has risen to £2.7billion, despite the smoking population falling to 22 per cent.

Meradin Peachey, the Kent Director of Public Health has offered an explanation as to why this might be.

She said: “We’re getting better at treatments which means people are living longer, we have more choices for people and the cost of treating cancer is getting more expensive.”

Of the £2.7billion cost, £900million is spent on prescriptions and £1.02billion on hospital admissions.

Yet although the report’s conclusions are startling, they have been widely welcomed.

Ms Peachey said: “I am absolutely delighted this issue has been highlighted and I’m really pleased with the new research as it gives us much greater clarity on where we need to spend our resources in terms of helping people give up and stopping people start, particularly youngsters.”

The report revealed nearly all smokers began before the age of 25 and two-thirds took up the habit before turning 16.

Although unable to speak about it at the moment, Ms Peachey says the public health department in Kent is planning a new anti-smoking campaign with young people soon in the hope of starting to reverse the problem in Kent.