ONE in eight mums who give birth at a hospital trust smoked while pregnant, new figures reveal.

NHS data shows 65 out of 505 women said they were smokers at the time they delivered their baby at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust in January.

That is around 13 per cent of woman - more than twice the six per cent target the government wants trusts to meet by the end of 2022.

The figure is also above the England average which is nine per cent of the 24,443 who gave birth in January were smokers.

Smoking during pregnancy can cause stillbirths, miscarriages and birth defects, according to charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

Dr Ian Stanley, acting medical director at the trust, said there are significant risks to the health of both mother and unborn baby if smoking is continued.

Dr Stanley said the trust is committed to helping expectant mothers who smoke to stop and are hopeful in reducing the smoking during pregnancy rate to six per cent by 2022.

He said: “There are significant risks to the health of both mother and unborn baby if smoking is continued during pregnancy, so it is important that we do all we can to support a successful quit.

"The trust is committed to helping expectant mothers who smoke to stop, and are hopeful in reducing the smoking during pregnancy rate to 6 per cent by 2022. It’s important to remember that it is never too late to stop smoking. We provide lots of help, advice and support to our mums-to-be to help them achieve a quit.

"All our midwives are trained to be able to discuss the effects of smoking in pregnancy and to offer a referral, via our new streamlined pathway, to our community specialist stop smoking team. On average our midwives are referring between 30 and 50 women per month.

He added: "Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life."

To tackle the problem, all pregnant women will be asked to take a carbon monoxide (CO) test in hospital to see if they, or their partners, smoke, as part of newly updated NHS guidance.

Version two of the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle recommends that doctors, midwives and nurses should routinely CO monitor all pregnant women at 12 weeks and 36 weeks.

Smokers will be advised on how to give up and referred for specialist help to quit. Those whose CO results show that they smoke will be retested at every appointment.

The results also show whether partners or other household members smoke in homes with pregnant women.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said: “The number of women smoking in pregnancy is at a record low, but too many women still suffer the tragedy of a stillbirth as a result of smoking. Our continuing commitment is to do everything in our power to address this, by supporting mums-to-be to quit, in pregnancy and for good.”

Anyone who wants to stop smoking during pregnancy can contact the trust’s Well Team on 01254 734629 or wellteam@elht.nhs.uk