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Hull is the smoking capital of England, new government figures reveal.

Nearly one in four adults in the city currently smoke, according to the latest GP Patient Survey, with 24% of people over the age of 18 classifying themselves as either occasional or regular smokers.

It means Hull tops the league of shame when it comes to people smoking, beating Blackpool (23%) and Manchester (22%) to the top spot.

Peterborough (21%), Haringey (21%), Middlesbrough (21%) and Portsmouth (21%) also had particularly high rates of smokers.

Hull is also one of the few places in the country that has seen the proportion of people smoking actually increase in the last year.

(Image: PA)

(Image: Getty) (Image: Lonely Planet Images)

Across England, the percentage of smokers has remained fairly static at around 16% over the last few years.

In Hull, however, the figure rose slightly from 23% in 2015-16.

The biggest increase in the country was seen in Rutland in the East Midlands, however, where the smoking rate rose from 10% to 13% in the last year.

(Image: Getty) (Image: iStock Unreleased)

Meanwhile, in many places the proportion of smokers actually fell, with Solihull in the West Midlands seeing the highest proportion of people kick the habit.

There, the percentage of smokers fell to 11% in the last year - down from 16% in 2015-16.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable ill health and premature death in the country.

(Image: PA)

It is a major risk factor for many diseases, such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart disease, and accounts for one in every six deaths in England.

In the last year alone, 513,940 people over the age of 35 were admitted to hospital across England for diseases that are wholly or partially attributed to smoking - one in every 59 people in the country.

It cost nearly £872m to treat people in hospital for smoking related problems in the last year - £28 per head for every person over the age of 35 in England.

Top 10 places with the most smokers (based on % of adults who smoke)

Kingston Upon Hull - 24%

Blackpool - 23%

Manchester - 22%

Peterborough - 21%

Haringey - 21%

Middlesbrough - 21%

Portsmouth - 21%

North East Lincolnshire - 21%

Hackney - 21%

Nottingham - 20%

Top 10 places with the fewest smokers

Wokingham -10%

Solihull - 11%

Bromley - 12%

Surrey - 12%

Bracknell Forest - 12%

East Riding of Yorkshire - 12%

Central Bedfordshire - 12%

West Berkshire - 13%

Bath and North East Somerset - 13%

Trafford - 13%