Cancer Research UK and Imperial College London have come up with eye-opening facts. They revealed that a shocking rise has been witnessed among youngsters who have been taking up smoking for the first time.

Around 600 children as young as 11 years old are taking up smoking on daily basis in Britain. As per data collected by both the institutions, 207,000 children have taken up smoking between 2010 and 2011.

The number is said to be 50,000 more than the total that was recorded the previous year. Alison Cox, from Cancer Research UK, unveiled the numbers of new smokers in different places. Around 463 children take up smoking every day in England, 50 in Scotland, 30 in Wales and 19 in Northern Ireland.

After seeing the numbers, Cox affirmed that if the pattern persisted in the same manner, then half of the youngsters will get killed.

"The 570 under-16s who start smoking every day are far too many lives that will be blighted by an addiction that will kill half of them if they go on", said Cox. There is an urgent need to address the problem so that youngsters can be stopped from becoming long-term smokers.