HEALTH officials in Darlington are celebrating a major breakthrough in their battle to persuade people to stop smoking.

Authorities are delighted with the local response to their efforts to meet challenging Government targets.

Ministers have set a national target of health bodies getting 800,000 people a year to give up the habit for four weeks as part of their efforts to quit.

That meant Darlington Primary Care Trust had to encourage about 500 residents to stop smoking for the designated period.

But the trust revealed on Tuesday that it had exceeded that figure last year - with 583 people successfully joining the initiative.

Officials in Darlington have ensured that people signing up for the scheme have stuck to their word by using a 'smokalyser' device to check levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.

The trust's stop smoking advisor, Darcy Brown, said: "We were very pleased to have exceeded the targets and we're hoping that this year the results will be even better.

"Our service gives smoking a high profile throughout the year, with lots of events being run, because smoking is the single biggest cause of preventative illness and death in the UK."

Figures for the first quarter of this year have also been above national targets.

District nurses and school nurses have also played their part in driving home the anti-smoking message.

The trust's head of nursing, Linda Bailes, said: "The smoking cessation service is going from strength to strength.

"This a massive achievement for Darlington."

Mr Brown pledged that further resources would be ploughed into the service over the coming months, as more residents are urged to quit.

Earlier this year, the trust launched a huge anti-smoking publicity campaign, including asking landlords in the town to ban the habit in their pubs.

Latest figures show that people in the North-East spend £281m a year on smoking.