HEALTH experts will launch a new plan to reduce smoking and tobacco usage across the county.

The plan has been put together by Tobacco Free Lancashire, a partnership led by Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council.

The new strategy aims to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke through a smoke-free homes and cars programme, make tobacco less affordable by advocating continued tax rises, and making people aware of the health impacts of niche tobacco, products such as shisha.

Azhar Ali, the county council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We’ve worked with our partners to run some successful stop smoking initiatives, but we need to do more to reduce the 22per cent of Lancashire’s population that still smoke.”