Thousands of smokers in the city quit the habit last year, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

Data from the ONS found that the proportion of smokers in Brighton and Hove dropped by almost four per cent last year to 13.7 per cent, only slightly above the UK average of 13.3 per cent.

However, in Hastings, the number of smokers jumped to its highest proportion for at least six years, rising almost nine per cent in the space of just one year to 25.8 per cent.

The spike means the town has the second-highest proportion of smokers in the UK, beaten only by Fenland in Cambridgeshire, where 27.8 per cent of residents are smokers.

Last year, around 15.1 per cent of men in the UK smoked, compared with 11.5 per cent of women.

Those without qualifications were more likely to be current smokers than those with a degree.

Data also revealed that around four million people in Great Britain use e-cigarettes daily or occasionally last year, an increase of more than one per cent on 2020.

ONS statistician James Tucker said: “This year, we have reported 13.3 per cent of adults aged 18 years and over in the UK were smokers in 2021; this is a decrease from 14 per cent in 2020. This is the lowest proportion of current smokers since 2011, when we began recording smoking prevalence from the Annual Population Survey.

“The decrease in the proportion of current smokers may be partly attributed to the increase in vaping and e-cigarette use.

“Data from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey have shown regular use of a vaping device has increased in 2021 and the highest usage was among those aged 16 to 24 years.”

Professor Jamie Brown, director of the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at University College London, said that while the figures were “good news”, there should not be any complacency.

He said: “Our own research indicates that the long-term decline in smoking may be stalling.

“Our success in bringing rates down to some of the lowest levels in Europe was our consistent innovation in policies to tackle smoking.

“A new and bold approach is urgently required to get us back on track and meet the government’s ambition to be smokefree.”