NHS is offering shopping vouchers to children who quit smoking and pregnant women who give up smoking. Supporters of the scheme claim that there is no harm in offering small incentive to help children leave this bad habit whereas people opposite to this scheme said this scheme might encourage children to smoke for sake of rewards.

NHS Brighton and Hove said it had been running two schemes- one offering pregnant women who quit smoking a £5 voucher for Asda or Co-Op and second offering youngsters under the age of 18 who quit, a £15 voucher for WHSmith, Argos, Boots or the Body Shop.

The TaxPayers' Alliance said that an NHS scheme which offers shopping vouchers to children who quit smoking could lead them to take up the habit.

Health promotion chief Kate Lawson said the youngest person to ask for help was aged 10, but such cases were "unusual".