A 20-a-day smoker will rack up lifetime bill of €200,000

People who smoke 20 cigarettes a day are racking up bills of more than €200,000 over the course of their life, while “social smokers” are tripling the risk of heart failure without even realising it.

The claims were made by two of the country’s leading anti-smoking organisations as part of a new plea to encourage people to stub out the habit.

Speaking during its annual No Smoking Day appeal, which takes place every Ash Wednesday, ASH Ireland warned users that cigarettes are not only causing untold damage to their health — they are also wreaking havoc on their finances.