Medway Stop Smoking Service has seen a 30 per cent increase in people accessing the service since the smoking ban was introduced a year ago.

In the last 12 months 2,711 people registered with the service and joined either a support group or made contact with one of the support teams in bid to quit cigarettes for good.

Of that number 1,333 people successfully quit - a 49 per cent success rate.

The figures were released by the Medway Primary Care Trust to mark the first anniversary of the ban which came into force on July 1, 2007.

Julia Thomas, senior public health manager (tobacco control),said:“Since the introduction of the ban we have seen a marked increase in the number of people wanting to quit.

"This response was greater than expected, however, service provision was in place to accommodate this unpredictable demand.

“The service has received very positive feedback from patients who have benefited from the different services that we provide.

“It is very encouraging to see that the people of Medway are considering the implications to their health and taking action to reduce the risk.”

The ban makes it illegal to smoke in enclosed public spaces, including bars, offices and company vehicles but Medway Council has revealed that no fixed penalty notices have been issued for smoking offences to date.

A spokesman for Medway Council said: “The purpose of the new law is to protect people from second-hand smoke rather than to serve as many Fixed Penalty Notices as possible.

“Locally, our educational approach has worked very well.

"We’ve been really pleased to find the majority of people in Medway complying with the legislation.

“We have received a small number of complaints of people smoking where they should not and we investigate these complaints and provide appropriate information and advice.

"Officers have found that, once the law has been explained, people are happy to co-operate and comply with legal requirements.”