WE all know by now that smoking is seriously bad for the health.

It increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, bronchitis and pneumonia - not to mention lung cancer and cancers of the throat and mouth.

The NHS estimates that every year 100,000 people in the UK die as a direct result.

Given the statistics, it is astonishing that so many people refuse to give up. That may be partly down to the addictive power of nicotine. It is also probably due at least in part to the bloody-mindedness of those who don't like to be told what to do by the nanny state.

Fair enough. We're all grown ups.

What is less easy to understand is the number of women who continue to smoke during pregnancy. They are putting not only their own lives, but also the lives of their unborn children, at risk.

We know it is hard to quit if you're a regular smoker. But the NHS says giving up smoking is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life.

Every cigarette you smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals - and smoking while pregnant really does harm your baby, the NHS choices website says. "Cigarettes can restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby, so their heart has to beat harder every time you smoke," it adds.

The good news is that the percentage of pregnant women who smoke is falling.

In the York area, fewer than one in ten now do so.

But that is still too many.

We know it is difficult. But help is out there. So if you are a woman smoker, and you know you are pregnant, ask your GP or practice nurse where you can get help to quit. Your baby will be healthier for it.