THOUSANDS of people quit smoking in Bolton last year, new figures show.

More than 5,000 people tried to give up with the help of local health chiefs—and 2,100 of them managed it.

The success rate and number of people using stop smoking services in the borough is well above some neighbouring areas.

The services to help people kick the habit cost the town nearly £350,000 last year, but this equates to one of the lowest amounts per person in the North West because of the number of people being helped.

Health chiefs are pleased with the results, saying it is good for the smoker and health services.

Lesley Jones, deputy director of public health at NHS Bolton, the primary care trust, said: “It’s great to see more people in Bolton quitting smoking.

“Smoking causes a range of health problems, and giving up is one of the best things a smoker can do, even if their habit has lasted for many years.”

Figures from the NHS Information Centre, released yesterday, show 2,191 people in Bolton successfully quit smoking between April, 2010, and March, 2011.

The money spent to achieve this was £348,000, meaning £159 was spent per person.

Across the North West more than 60,000 smokers stopped, costing more than £11 million, with the average per patient cost of £194.

Neighbouring, comparable areas include Blackburn with Darwen, where only 839 people quit at a cost of £462 each.

Around 5,000 people in Bolton set a quit date in 2010/11, with the 2,191 being successful. A further 1,600 had not kicked the habit, 1,200 were not known about and 740 self-reported quitting, though they had not had CO2 tests.

Most people chose one-to-one support or drop-in clinics to quit with 50 per cent finding the intervention worked