Parents who smoke 'harm children'

Parents who smoke are causing serious harm to their children, according to a medical expert.

Dr Steve Ryan, medical director of Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital, said up to a third of young patients treated for conditions like chest infections and asthma were the victims of passive smoking.

Parents often lie about whether they smoke near their children, he said.

"People feel guilty. If it was easy, they would give up.

"Looking after children is good fun but it can be stressful and for some, cigarettes are a way of relieving that stress."

Dr Ryan said parents who smoke in cars expose youngsters to "high intensity" fumes.

Even those who smoke outside should put on another layer to protect children from fumes on clothes, he added.

The British Lung Foundation said 17,000 under-fives were treated every year for exposure to second-hand smoke.

Research published in 2005 suggested children exposed to their parents' smoke were three times more likely to develop lung cancer later in life.

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