HEALTH experts have welcomed a ban on motorists smoking in vehicles when children are present, which came into force yesterday.

The new law will see the driver and any smoker fined £50 if they light up when someone under 18 in the car.

Britain’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said the new rules represented “a landmark in protecting our children from second-hand 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.

“I hope that all smokers, but particularly drivers and parents, will use the change in law as an opportunity to take the first steps towards quitting.”

British Lung Foundation chief executive Dr Penny Woods said that after years of campaigning, the law means Britain has “stopped playing catch-up and can now stand tall beside other countries.”