People given financial rewards to quit smoking are ’50 per cent more likely to kick the habit’

The smoking figures released today show that more than one in 10 women in England (10.6 per cent) smoke while they’re pregnant.

Last year more than 61,399 expectant mothers admitted to still being smokers at the time they gave birth.

Although this rate has fallen from 14.6 per cent of mothers in 2009, tens of thousands are still risking their own and their babies’ health.

Children whose mothers smoke in the womb are more likely to be born prematurely, have a low birth weight, be asthmatic or even die of cot death or a stillbirth. 

They may also suffer health problems in adulthood because of carbon monoxide poisoning their brains.

The Government is aiming for the proportion of women who smoke while pregnant to drop below six per cent, but only 28 out of more than 200 local NHS boards achieved this last year.

Dr Clea Harmer, chief executive of stillbirth charity Sands, said: ‘Today’s figures show a worrying lack of progress in supporting all women to have smoke-free pregnancies. 

‘Smoking is a leading cause of still birth and neonatal death and without urgent action the Government is at risk of missing not only the ambition of the Tobacco Control Plan but also its aim to halve rates of still births, neonatal and maternal deaths by 2025.’ 

Where women live has a strong effect on how likely they are to smoke while pregnant, with those in some areas 25 times more likely to smoke than those in others.

Women in some areas of London are up to 25 times less likely to smoke than those in West Lancashire, where one in four are still smoking cigarettes by the time their due date arrives

Mothers-to-be in West Lancashire have the highest rates of smoking in pregnancy, with a massive 25 per cent of them still smoking cigarettes when they give birth.

Hardwick in Derbyshire, Blackpool, South Tees, North East Lincolnshire, Swale and Durham Dales all have rates above 22 per cent of women.

Whereas expectant mothers in London are least likely to still be smoking cigarettes on their due date – just one in 100 mothers in West London do so.

And Westminster, Wandsworth, Richmond, Tower Hamlets, Hammersmith and Fulham and Barnet all had reported rates lower than three per cent.