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A SMOKER dices with death as he perches precariously on the edge of a 400ft cliff — despite signs warning it is crumbling.

His feet dangle over the edge while he casually puffs on a cig and stares out to sea, seemingly oblivious of the danger.

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Warnings of fragile, soft chalk are posted in Seven Sisters park at Birling Gap, East Sussex, near where cliffs recently collapsed.

Cigarettes are the biggest cause of cancer and death in the country, responsible for around 55,000 fatalities a year.

Around 6.6million Brits —13.3 per cent — were regular smokers in 2021, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

It was the smallest proportion of smokers since records began in 2011, with rates falling for decades.

The drop-off has been helped in no small part by the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes, which the NHS recommends to smokers to help them kick their habit.

The devices have proved controversial thanks to rising use in teens who have never smoked and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a ban on free samples being handed out to kids.

Despite the decline of smoking, it is still a major strain on the NHS, contributing to tens of thousands of cancer cases and deaths every year.

Tobacco costs the UK public purse around £20.6billion per year, according to Action on Smoking and Health.

The Government is aiming to make Britain “smoke-free” by 2030, meaning less than 5 per cent of Brits would be smoking by then.

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