A new high-profile campaign to encourage smokers to quit is being launched by the government this week.

Smokers will be encouraged to kick the habit for 28 days from October 1 as part of the Department of Health’s (DoH) Stoptober campaign.

They will be supported in the quit challenge with a pack, a text support service and a digital app. Local NHS Stop Smoking Services and a number of partners, including pharmacies, will also be providing support.

The DoH will also be running a high-profile advertising campaign from mid-September including television and radio adverts, a daily messaging service and roadshows around the country.

England’s chief medical officer professor Sally Davies said it was the first time that the government had launched a “mass quit attempt”.