A scheme that pays ­pregnant women to stop smoking has been described as bribery by critics.

Women who manage to quit smoking during ­pregnancy are being rewarded with £400 in a publicly funded scheme that could be rolled out across the country.

One in five pregnant smokers recruited in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was able to quit after being offered financial incentives.

Some 600 women took part in the pilot scheme, which cost £750,000 and was co-funded by the NHS and the Scottish Government, along with research grants.

But critics have labelled it "dubious", claiming it is essentially bribing women to change their behaviour.

Eben Wilson of the Taxpayer Scotland campaign group said: "The ethics of essentially bribing people to change behaviour on the basis of paying them to be responsible about their own health seems dubious at best - free money is not the answer to bad lifestyle choices."

Professor Linda Bauld of Stirling University, who ran the scheme, said the payments would lead to massive healthcare savings down the line, adding: "Even if you paid the women double, it would be cost-effective in the long-run, saving the NHS money."