Government chief adviser demands smoking ban in cars

Professor Robert West, an expert on tobacco addiction, warned that car passengers topped the "at risk" category for passive smoking dangers.

He said the public smoking ban had been successful but ministers must now take even tougher action to reduce deaths.

Professor West, who drew up the NHS blueprint for quit smoking treatments, told the Standard: "It may seem draconian but the Government should legislate against drivers who smoke.

"Not only is this a major cause of accidents but passengers are at huge risk of the effects of passive smoking.

"If you look at smoking in the car, the health impacts are huge."

His call for a car smoking ban comes ahead of a new government clampdown targeted at "macho" smokers.

On Monday, the department of health launches a campaign aimed at those who are reluctant to seek help from NHS services such as smoking cessation classes.

Tobacco is still the biggest single cause of death and illness in the UK.

Smoking kills 120,000 Britons a year - the equivalent of 13 every hour - and costs the NHS £1.7billion a year.

Exposure to second-hand smoke causes several thousand deaths a year.

More than 100,000 smokers have quit since the ban on smoking in public was enforced this summer but doctors have identified a hard core of addicts who use nicotine replacement and gum but consider it weak to ask for help.

Professor West, who heads the Cancer Research UK health behaviour unit at University College London, said his researchers had found only a "small minority" were using smoking cessation services.

The figure could rise to one in 10 if the new campaign is successful.

Ministers are keen to reach young, fit smokers who they believe can be persuaded to quit before they develop lung disease or cancer.

They also plan to impose banning orders on retailers who persistently break the law by selling cigarettes to children.

But Professor West warned that the Government's failure to act against cigarette smugglers was impeding the progress of quit smoking campaigns and "killing" people.

Research suggests at least a quarter of tobacco smoked in Britain comes from cigarettes illegally imported from places such as China. These cost half as much as those legally on sale in shops.

Meanwhile Ash, which lobbies for greater action against tobacco-related disease, will publish a policy document in the new year calling for a ban on over-the-counter cigarette sales.

This follows research in Australia showing that prominently displayed cigarette packets act to weaken the resolve of those trying to cut down or give up.