STREET dancers and a street poet performed in the town centre to encourage smokers to ‘stub it out’ ahead of a national anti-smoking campaign.

Performers wore t-shirts with the message ‘#tobaccokills1in2’ to spread the Tobacco Free Futures message and ‘educate, inform and empower young people about tobacco industry tactics’.

Dr Sue Burke, a GP at Springfields Medical Centre in Warrington, added: “I advise my patients that stopping smoking - at any age- is the single most important thing they can do to influence their future health.

“Smoking is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and circulation problems leading to amputation of the leg in the worst cases.

“And while most people associate smoking with lung cancer they are not aware of the increased risk of cancers of the mouth, nose, throat cancer, pancreas, oesophagus, bladder, kidney, liver, bowel, ovary and cervix.

“There is a lot of help available - please ask and don't leave it too late.”