Auto SMOKE BAN: Charity support

A spokeswoman for Cleveland and Durham Police’s specialist operations unit confirmed: “We will be following the advice issued by the Department of Health that the approach should be advisory and non-confrontational by issuing warnings rather than fines whilst public awareness of the extension to the smokefree law takes place”. The ban on smoking in vehicles with children has been imposed in England and Whales.

A new British law banning smoking in cars while children are present came into effect Thursday but police representatives said it will be “extremely challenging” to enforce.

“The public need to decide what it is that they want their police service to do because we are at breaking point”.

“If drivers are spotted smoking will they be stopped in case there’s a child in the back?”

The ban will protect young people from the dangers of second-hand smoke, but a few smoking advocates think that people should not be forced to obey the new regulation.

The anti-smoking law was based on the findings that second-hand smoke in auto reached 100 times above the safety guidelines.

Over 80 per cent of cigarette smoke is invisible, and parents can be unaware of the exposure to which children are often subjected, particularly in enclosed spaces such as vehicles. Children breathe more frequently than adults and their respiratory and immune systems are still developing.

“Our officers are telling us they can not get to a few quite serious incidents like burglaries… how are we going to resource this?” he asked, saying that the policing budget had been cut by 25 percent in four years.

“Most smokers nowadays avoid smoking around children, but a significant number of children are still exposed to smoke which contains harmful poisons like carbon monoxide and arsenic and puts them at increased risk of meningitis and respiratory infections”.

The law will not apply to people smoking in convertibles with the roof down. “It will bring major health benefits as many more people will realise this law is for a very good reason, and protect their children”.

Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer for England, hailed the “landmark” legislation.