One in eight women in England are smokers when they give birth, according to new NHS data. The disclosure that 87,700 women who had a baby in 2011-12 – 13% of the total – identified themselves as smokers prompted warnings that their babies were potentially suffering serious harm in utero as a result. However, the proportion has fallen steadily since the 15% recorded in 2006-07. "I am pleased to see the rates of smoking in pregnancy falling but the levels are still worryingly high. Smoking in pregnancy can have serious and long-term effects on the developing baby", said Dr Janine Stockdale, research fellow at the Royal College of Midwives.The north-east of England had the highest proportion of mothers who smoked (20.6%), while London had the lowest (6%), according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre.