LONDON, Dec. 29 -- More than a million people in England are living with a chronic lung disease linked to smoking, Public Health England (PHE) reported Tuesday.

PHE says around 25,000 deaths each year are attributable to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), twice the European average. Around 86 percent of COPD deaths in England are linked to smoking.

In a campaign launched today former British Olympic sprinter Iwan Thomas is featured in a health promotion film about the disease after his mother Ann was diagnosed with COPD.

The campaign aims to encourage people to make a New Year resolution to quit smoking.

Thomas said: "I've never fully understood COPD but when the simple things like climbing stairs, making a cup of tea or walking to the bus stop become impossible, it's serious. After years of smoking, it's great that my mum is making 2016 the year she quits smoking."

PHE warns smokers often dismiss early signs of COPD as a "smoker's cough," but if they continue smoking and the condition worsens, it can greatly impact on their quality of life.