Promises up in smoke

Giving up smoking may be one of the most popular New Year's resolutions, but it is also one of the toughest.

For every 100 of the millions of smokers who quit on New Year's Eve, around 70 will have already taken their first puff of 2004, according to research published today. By the end of the month a mere 15 will be holding out.

The survey, commissioned by Tesco, found that as many as three quarters of Britain's 12 million smokers made a resolution to give up this New Year.

The vast majority of them will have tried - and failed - before and as many as a third said they try to stop every January.

A spokeswoman for the charity Quit, which encourages people to quit smoking, said its helplines were frantic this week with former smokers trying to stick to their resolution. "More than 20 per cent of women and 27 per cent of men are ex-smokers, so that shows it can be done," he added.