ALMOST half of men who die in parts of the North-East are killed by a "smoking epidemic", a shock report reveals today.

The most in-depth study so far of the human cost of smoking reveals the North-East death toll is only matched in Merseyside, Greater Manchester and inner London.

In three areas - Middlesbrough, Gateshead and South Tyneside - 38 per cent of deaths of people aged 35 or over are caused by smoking-related illnesses.

The proportion is even higher among men - reaching 44 per cent in Gateshead and South Tyneside and 43 per cent in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Government's chief medical officer, said the Health Development Agency (HDA) report "starkly sets out the scale of the problem we face".

He said: "We are in the grip of a smoking epidemic. An estimated 106,000 people in the UK are dying needlessly each year."

The figures were published ahead of the publication of Government proposals to curb smoking in pubs, restaurants and other public places.

Health Secretary John Reid will not impose an outright ban, but is expected to instead allow pubs and restaurants to apply to their local authority for a smoking licence.

The HDA study, carried out by the University of Portsmouth, estimates that 2,500 people die every year in County Durham and Tees Valley because of smoking.