The primary school puffers The town average age start-smoking Smokers in one of Britain's most deprived towns start lighting up at the average age of just nine, a shocking survey has found. The health study found one boy started smoking cigarettes at the age of just three - because his family thought it was funny. The research by an NHS anti-smoking programme at Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, discovered that many children are still in primary school when they start their tobacco habit. in Public bookmarkswith ninesmokers