Supermarket helps smokers to quit

A campaign to help smokers kick the habit in the new year is being rolled out at a major supermarket chain.

Health teams will visit in-store pharmacies at seven Asda supermarkets across Scotland to advise shoppers who want to quit.

Customers will be able to take lung age and carbon monoxide tests and pick up "quit calendars" to support them in their attempt.

The retailer, which has teamed up with the Scottish Government for the initiative, says the money saved on breaking a 20-a-day habit could feed a family of four for a week.

Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: "Quitting smoking is one of the best things someone can do to improve their health and for those who are considering quitting, the new year is a perfect time to do so.

"By quitting you can reduce the risk of a heart attack or coronary heart disease and as our new campaign shows, it can also bring big savings when household budgets are tight.

"We know that people are more likely to succeed if they get support - and there is a huge range of support available in Scotland, from face-to-face or online to nicotine replacement therapy and group sessions."

Asda spokeswoman Polly Jones said: "Asda is pleased to be working with the Scottish Government to help people find the support they need to give up smoking cigarettes.

"Quitting smoking is good for your health and good for your pocket, and we hope that offering advice and information services in-store will make it easy for our customers and colleagues to access the help they need to quit smoking for good," reports Paisley Daily Express.