Cambridgeshire fire service has teamed up with CamQuit to back its Smokefree Homes and Cars campaign.

This week leaflets were distributed to every Fenland primary school pupil to take home for their parents to learn about protecting children and pets from second-hand smoke.

To help support the campaign Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is offering vulnerable residents the opportunity to receive a free home fire safety check.

Pete Jones risk manager for Fenland and Huntingdonshire, said: “We attended 40 fires involving people’s homes and cars between April 2014 and March 2015 that had been started accidentally by smoking materials.

“Since April this year we’ve already attended 21 fires started by smoking materials and if we can educate people about safe disposal of smoking materials – the first step being to smoke outside their properties and cars – then this should help to reduce the number of these incidents.”

The Smokefree campaign was launched in August to develop awareness about the change in legislation that will prohibit smoking in cars with someone under the age of 18.

Val Thomas, consultant in public health at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Around two million children in the UK are estimated to be regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in the home.

“The only effective way to protect children from second-hand smoke exposure is to make homes and cars smoke free.”

The legislation comes into force from Thursday October 1.