The results were published at the launch of the British government's National Health Service (NHS) campaign aimed at getting loved ones to stop smoking.

Public health minister Gillian Merron said: 'You are four times more likely to quit if you use the free NHS stop smoking service. The facts are clear - every week 2,000 people die from smoking-related diseases, which has a devastating effect on children's lives.'

The health risks of smoking are clear to children with nine out of ten knowing it damages the health of people around them and three quarters know that is causes cancer.