Health reporter Jane Lavender is hoping to finally kick the habit and give up smoking - and to spur her on she is doing it under the watchful eye of thousands of readers.

In her determination to quit, Jane, who works for the Bolton Evening News, is penning a weekly column which will chart her progress and describe her experiences as she weans herself off the dreaded weed.

The 26-year-old (pictured) began smoking ten years ago, but after working out that she spent almost £2,000 on cigarettes last year alone she decided it was time to give up.

In her first week she admitted to a minor lapse, but she is now getting into the swing and finding her aggressive tendancies to others are improving!

She told HoldtheFrontPage: "It has been four weeks now and it has got much easier.

"I had been thinking about giving up for a while and really didn't want to smoke for more than ten years."

Jane's decision to quit also ties in with the paper's Stub it Out campaign, which she has been heading since she joined the paper nine months ago.

The campaign calls for a ban on smoking in public places, and as part of the paper's coverage Jane has interviewed dozens of people who have become ill through smoking or who have successfully given up.

She said: "I spoke to one man who had managed to give up after 40 years so I haven't really got any excuse.

"I have had quite a few e-mails of encouragement with people offering advice and support and I don't want to fail in front of thousands of readers!"