The health team in charge of persuading Enfield's smokers’ to quit is the most successful in London, but more pregnant women in the borough smoke than anywhere else in the capital.

Figures newly released by the Government show that nearly three-quarters of smokers who signed up with the Primary Care Trust’s (PCT’s) stop smoking service successfully quit the habit, more than anywhere else in the capital.

But a separate Government report has revealed that in the last year 15.6 per cent of pregnant women in the borough continued to smoke while pregnant, compared to 12.6 per cent in the next worst borough - Haringey.

Glenn Stewart, Enfield Primary Care Trust's (PCT) assistant director of public health, said the borough's stop smoking service has had good results because staff work hard to identify the kind of treatment appropriate for individual smokers.

Mr Stewart said: "We try to understand the person, to learn a little bit about how much they want to quit and how committed they are.

"We want to get to them to point where they really want to change."

Once somebody contacts the service they can be referred for one-on-one sessions, in which an advisor will suggest techniques for helping the person quit.

This can vary from persuading somebody to hold something in their hand, such as a pen, rather than a cigarette, to prescribing nicotine patches.

Mr Stewart said: "The important thing is that people think carefully about how they want to quit and set targets."

As well as the one-on-one sessions, users can also be referred to group sessions with other wannabe quitters.

"These sessions allow people to work together and get each other through difficult periods, they have good results," said Mr Stewart.

Mr Stewart said the ban on smoking in public places has been effective in persuading more people to quit, as it has turned smoking into more of an anti-social activity.

But a consultation document on the future of tobacco control, published by the Department of Health, shows that a higher percentage of women are smoking in Enfield than anywhere else in London.

Mr Stewart said: "Women who continue to smoke while pregnant are a hard-to-reach group.

"The numbers are quite small and it is possible that we have better reporting systems in place, which may be why the Enfield figures are higher.

"But we are not complacent and it is something we are concerned about."

To get advice on quitting smoking phone 0800 085 6258.