I DON’T suppose the smokers who light up in their car when they have children as passengers will care much about the latest news from Public Health England.

Its research shows that 99 per cent of people in towns like Bolton badly underestimate the level of toxicity in smoke, especially in cars. Now, a campaign has been launched to try to educate more people about the damage even a single cigarette in a car can do to the health of a child.

The smoke, which is 80 per cent invisible, contains 4,500 dangerous chemicals.

A reassuring 97 per cent of people in this region who were asked believed that smoking in cars carrying children should be banned, and there are now regulations enforcing this.

However, these are not the easiest laws to enforce and smokers urgently need to take more responsibility for what their habit causes As most of them would no doubt still describe themselves as “loving parents” there seems to be the need for a wake-up call here.