HALF of North-East smokers who pledge to quit the habit fail within four weeks, new figures have revealed.

Only 53 per cent joining NHS Stop Smoking schemes in County Durham and Tees Valley followed through on their pledges.

It meant 11,159 of the 36,846 smokers who announced they were quitting in the year to last March were still off cigarettes four weeks later.

The figure was 49 per cent in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, or 11,262 of the 23,047 who took part in one-to-one sessions and tried nicotine patches or gum.

But it was higher in North and East Yorkshire at 61 per cent, or 8,841 of 14,475 smokers who made the pledge.

The four-week target - which is "self-policed" - was heavily criticised in a report on the future of the NHS published last year.

Sir Derek Wanless described it as pointless and called instead for much tougher action to curb smoking, including a total ban on smoking in public places.

But the Department of Health has insisted the £140m it is investing in smoking cessation services over three years is paying off.

The official figures reveal that smokers in the Durham Dales are most likely to stick to their pledge to quit, with 63 per cent still off cigarettes after four weeks.

Those most likely to give in to temptation to resume smoking lived in Derwentside primary care trust area, where only 39 per cent succeeded.

However, the stop smoking services were most successful in Easington, where 1,683 per 100,000 people over 16 had quit after four weeks.

In his highly-critical report, Sir Derek said 30 years of talking had failed to curb smoking, obesity and diabetes in Britain - the cost of which could eventually sink the NHS.