THOSE who smoke in a car which has children in face a £50 due to a new government law.

The new law, which was put in place on October 1, is designed to help protect children from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Under the ban, both the driver and the smoker can be fined £50 if anyone smokes in a vehicle with a person who is under 18.

Chief medical officer at the government, Dame Sally Davies, said: “This legislation is a landmark in protecting our children from secondhand smoke. Smoking just a single cigarette in a vehicle exposes children to high levels of air pollutants and cancer-causing chemicals like arsenic, formaldehyde and tar, and people often wrongly assume that opening a window, or letting in fresh air, will lessen the damage. “

A recent survey by ASH revealed that ending smoking in cars with children is supported by 85% of adults from the South West.