Revealed: Black Country mums-to-be risking unborn babies lives by smoking

A total of 18.8 per cent of women in the city are lighting up during the nine months - the national average is just 11.4pc.

Across the Black Country, Cannock and Stafford, 2,773 women were recorded as smoking at the time of birth in 2014/15, leading to fears unborn babies are being caused serious harm.

Wolverhampton North East MP Emma Reynolds said she could not understand why so many more pregnant women smoked in the city.

"It's extremely worrying and the council, local politicians and the NHS all need to do what we can to raise awareness of the dangers," she said.

"But it is really about taking responsibility for your own actions, and I would urge anyone who falls pregnant to stop smoking.

"We should look at why the figures are so much higher in Wolverhampton than other areas where there are just as many deprived communities."

According to the latest figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, the 18.8pc figure in Wolverhampton is up from 18.7pc in the previous 12 months.

In Dudley, the percentage of pregnant women smoking is 15.7 - down from 16.1 - and in Walsall it's up from 13.7 to 14.7.

The figure is 10pc in Sandwell and West Birmingham - an increase of 0.4pc - and 10.4pc in Cannock Chase, down from 11.7pc. The number in Stafford rose two per cent to 14.5pc.

Professor Kevin Fenton, director of health and well-being at Public Health England (PHE), said: "There are still significant differences across regions and social groups - with the burden and harm hitting hardest in more deprived communities.

"Stopping smoking is the best thing a woman and her partner can do to protect their own health and the health of their baby, both during pregnancy and after.

"Quitting and remaining smoke free can be difficult, and like many smokers expectant parents may need help.

"Women who smoke need to know that they are increasing the chances of abnormal fetal growth and risking their baby being stillborn."

Despite the shocking results in the West Midlands, across England, the figures are the lowest since records began in 2006/07, with 70,880 out of 622,640 maternities last year involving women who smoked.