'Clear smoking link' to cot death

Almost nine out of ten mothers who lose a baby to cot death smoked while pregnant, say researchers.

The Bristol University team said the risk also increased with every hour babies were exposed to passive smoke after birth.

The number of cot deaths has fallen, but those linked to smoking have risen.

The report, to be published in the journal Early Human Development, suggests public smoking bans will make people more likely to smoke at home.

These are startling statistics

Professor Peter Fleming, Institute of Child Life and Health, Bristol University

Many other studies have shown a clear link between smoking and cot death, but the Bristol research tries to unravel more precisely the cost of smoking both before and after birth.

Smoking among pregnant women has fallen from 30% to 20% in the last 15 years.