A council has become the first in London to rule that smokers will no longer be able to foster children.

Redbridge Council's cabinet agreed Tuesday night to a ban on placing children with foster carers who smoke unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The local authority in northeast London said the decision, which will come into force in 2010, was made to protect children from the "damaging effects of passive and second-hand smoke."

Other councils around the country have introduced similar measures, particularly relating to very young children, but Redbridge's ban is thought to be the most far-reaching.

"We know this is a difficult issue because some people will feel it is an intrusion on personal freedoms," said Councilor Michael Stark.

"But we also know that smoking increases the risk of serious illness in childhood. On balance, we have decided children in our care shouldn't grow up breathing second-hand smoke."

The council cited scientific evidence that showed passive smoking caused lung cancer and childhood respiratory disease.

Existing smokers will be told of the new policy and given help to quit.

The Fostering Network, a charity which represents groups involved in fostering, said it believed no child under five should be placed with carers who smoked.

However the charity, which estimates there is a shortfall of some 10,000 carers, said it did not want potentially good foster parents to be put off because they had an occasional cigarette.

Tobacco lobby groups said the move was part of an "ongoing campaign to stigmatize smokers."

"It's going to exclude people who could be outstanding foster parents," said a spokesman for pro-smoking group Forest.

"It sends out an insidious message that smokers in general are unfit parents and I don't think any politician has the right to do that."

英国伦敦某区政府日前通过一项禁令，规定吸烟者不可收养小孩。这一禁令在伦敦还是首例。

位于伦敦东北部的雷德布里奇区内阁于上周二晚通过该禁令。禁令规定，除非有特殊情况，否则吸烟者不可收养小孩。

雷德布里奇区政府称，决定颁布这一禁令是为了让儿童免受被动吸烟或 “二手烟”的危害。该禁令将于2010年开始实施。

英国其他一些地方政府也采取了类似的禁烟措施，尤其针对一些年龄很小的孩子。但雷德布里奇的这项禁令被认为是其中影响最大的。

议员迈克尔-斯塔克说：“我们知道这是一个艰难的决定，因为一些人会觉得这侵犯了他们的个人自由。”

他说：“但同时，我们也很清楚吸烟会增加儿童患疾病的风险。经过权衡后，我们决定，不应该让生活在我们这一辖区的孩子受到二手烟危害。”

雷德布里奇地区政府称，有科学证据表明，被动吸烟会导致肺癌和儿童呼吸道疾病。

该区政府将告知吸烟者这一新政策，并会帮助他们戒烟。

儿童领养慈善机构“领养社区”称，五岁以下的儿童的确不能由吸烟者领养。

但该组织称，他们也担心一些条件很好但偶尔吸烟的人也会因此被拒之门外。目前该机构还需要约1万名领养者，

烟草业游说团体称，此举是“对吸烟者的一种污辱’”。

吸烟支持组织Forest的发言人说：“这项禁令会把一些很出色的领养者拒之门外。”

“这等于是在说，吸烟的人都不适合做父母。可谁都没有剥夺别人做父母的权利。”