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Mums-to-be are always warned of the dangers of smoking while pregnant but a surprising number still choose to do it.

Some women find quitting easy when they're expecting, but for others beating the nicotine cravings seems impossible.

So a Department of Healthfunded initiative with cash rewards of up to £200 is now being trialled by 12 Stop Smoking services in the Yorkshire and Humber areas - which hold some of the highest rates of women who smoke during pregnancy.

Called the Significant Others Supporters (SOS), the scheme hopes to persuade pregnant women to stop smoking and to help ensure they stay away from cigarettes permanently - and if it's successful, it could be rolled out across the country.

Under the initiative - funded by a £100,000 Department of Health grant - "Vulnerable pregnant smokers" will be able to claim high-street shopping vouchers if they kick the habit for good.

Some might think it's bribery, but others feel it's an effective way to cut the problem.

Professor Paul Johnstone, Regional Director of Public Health NHS Yorkshire and Humber, says: "Protecting unborn babies is worth every penny. Many women manage to stop smoking as soon as they find out that they are pregnant but some find it hard to stay off cigarettes.

"There is strong evidence that giving a small additional incentive can help."

Smoking during pregnancy causes a greater risk of miscarriage and still birth, and the baby is also more likely to be born prematurely and with a low birth weight. In the scheme, pregnant smokers will also be assigned a Significant Other Supporter (SOS), who could be a relation or close friend, whose aim is to keep the pregnant woman smoke-free.

As an incentive to be a reliable supporter the SOS will also be entitled to a £40 financial reward. And none of these vouchers can be used to pay for tobacco or alcohol.

An expectant mum is eligible for the first £20 voucher at the four-week quit date and then monthly during her pregnancy as well as for two months beyond the birth of her baby.

Not only that, but mums-to-be must have already quit smoking for four weeks to take part - and will be kicked off if they touch a single cigarette. The women in the scheme also have to blow into a carbon monoxide monitor each month to prove they're smoke-free and attend sessions with a stopsmoking advisor.

And, while it's still in the early stages, initial reports seem to be looking hopeful.

Patricia Hodgson, Regional Tobacco Policy manager for Yorkshire and Humber Regional Public Health Group, says: "The local NHS stop smoking advisors have found a high percentage of the pregnant smokers in the scheme have remained smoke-free." However the scheme is still in its early stages and each primary care trust has enough funding to put 29 women through the project.

Dr Andrew Furber, director of Public Health for the Wakefield District in West Yorks, one of the trusts in the scheme, hopes it succeeds as it will save the NHS money long-term: "SOS helps women who've made the step and not to smoked for four weeks. It also saves money that can be used for other health services. "Every pound spent helping a pregnant woman to stop smoking saves the NHS up to £4."

THE TRUTH ABOUT PREGNANT SMOKERS

- The Infant Feeding Survey 2005 states that just over a third of mothers (35%) in England smoked at some point in the 12 months immediately before or during their pregnancy.

- Of mothers who smoked before or during their pregnancy, about half (49%) gave up at some point before the birth.

- 14.3% of mothers were smoking at delivery during 2007/08.

Smoke-free and baby’s healthy

Robyn Duffin, 21, from Rotherham, South Yorks, is six months’ pregnant with her first child. She began smoking at just 11 and her habit had reached 30-a-day by the time she found out she was expecting.

She signed up for the SOS scheme two months ago, and has managed to stay smoke-free since.

“From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to stop smoking for the sake of the baby,” she says.

“I’d recently lost my dad to cancer so being pregnant was the extra push I needed to quit for good.

“I thought it sounded a brilliant idea, and just the extra incentive to make me stick to giving up. A stop smoking advisor visits me every four weeks to see how I’m coping without cigarettes and she gives me advice and support.

“My advisor also brings me a £20 voucher each time she visits, which I use to buy maternity clothes.

“I have to breathe into a carbon monoxide tester before signing for the vouchers to make sure I haven’t had a cigarette.