PREGNANT women who want to give up smoking will be given help to stub out the habit at drop-in sessions in Crook.

Durham Dales Primary Care Trust has set up the service at Crook Health Centre, Hope Street, for a trial period of one month.

Partners and family members are also invited to attend the clinics, which are offered free of charge. No appointment is necessary.

The sessions are being organised and run by Beverley Marr, a specialist pregnancy advisor, who has been working with the trust's stop smoking services.

She said: "We have set up these clinics on a trial period in the hope that we can improve accessibility for pregnant women and their partners and families to see a pregnancy stop-smoking specialist as soon as possible in their pregnancy.

"There is lots of evidence to suggest that giving up smoking in pregnancy has enormous benefits for both mother and baby."

The drop-in sessions will take place every Tuesday, between 9am and 11.15am, until October 11.