Amersham and Chesham has been revealed as the constituency with the fifth lowest percentage of smokers in the UK, according to new figures.

According to analysis from Philip Morris Limited (PML), just 7.1 percent of constituents in Amersham and Chesham smoke, which is the joint lowest prevalence in the South East – level with South West Surrey.

The average prevalence in the South East of England is 12.7 percent. Folkestone and Hythe has the highest percentage of smokers in the region, with 22.2 percent of constituents smoking.

Across the country, the average of smokers is 14.4 percent. The highest percentage of smokers across the country is in Kingston-upon-Hull North and Kingston-upon-Hull East, with 26.6 percent. The lowest percentage is in Rushcliffe, with just 3.6 percent.

Mark MacGregor, UK corporate affairs director of PML, said: “These results show the huge variations in smoking levels across the different parts of Britain.

“Although constituencies in the South East generally rank highly, we hope that MPs will use the figure to better target help for smokes locally, particularly in seats with the highest smoking levels.

“If the government is to meet its ambitious target one of the keys to getting prevalence down will be ensuring smokers who don’t quit, understand that alternatives, like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, are significantly better than continuing to smoke.”