 This is one of the shocking graveside images designed to scare parents into finally quitting smoking in the New Year. The NHS has launched the hard-hitting TV adverts today as part of an unprecedented £6 million Government push to encourage more mums and dads to quit the killer habit. One heartbreaking image shows two distraught children leaving the graveside of their father following his funeral. A wreath is shaped simply in the word 'Dad'. Another sees a young girl laying flowers on her parent's grave, and a floral tribute spelling the word 'Mum'. One film shows mourners huddled round a grave during a funeral service. The words flashed on the screen read "Always went outside to have a cigarette'. A fourth has a mother struggling to break the news that she has cancer to her kids. On each, an accompanying caption reads: "Giving up. The only way to protect your family from the effects of smoking." The new drive, which seems designed to make smoking parents feel guilty, follows a series of hard-hitting campaigns in recent years, including ads showing fatty deposits in smokers' arteries. The adverts also feature real-life exsmokers who quit with the help of their local NHS Stop Smoking Service, including Midlander Peter Lee. Mr Lee, from Leamington in Warwickshire, began smoking when he was at university. By his 30s he had a 20-a-day habit and his GP referred him to his local NHS Stop Smoking Service. The 38 year-old, who has now been a non-smoker for two years, said: "My NHS advisor was brilliant. I found understanding the psychology behind giving up smoking as well as seeing what it was doing to my body - through weekly carbon monoxide monitoring - extremely motivational. "Most important of all, I felt supported and reassured that I was doing something positive in my life. I absolutely did not want to let the adviser, or myself, down." NHS figures show that over the Christmas break around 3,000 people - including many parents - will die due to smoking-related illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Latest figures from the West Midlands Public Health Group show nearly a quarter of adults in the region smoke. This is despite research that reveals one in two smokers will die early because of the habit and spiralling costs of cigarettes. Paul Hooper, of the West Midlands Public Health Group, said: "It's more important than ever to give up smoking this year because of all the help around to help smokers succeed. "There are more products to help them quit and local NHS Stop Smoking Services have proven highly successful. "Also, more places are going smoke-free than ever before. And with the law about to change to ban smoking in more public places, it's a good idea to quit now. "You can't expect to pass your driving test without having any lessons, similarly you can't expect to give up smoking without help. "Even if people have tried to give up before and failed, they can always try again as there is no need to give in to smoking. "We especially want people to under-stand they should not be afraid of nicotine products. "Nicotine makes people addicted to cigarettes, but it's the 4,000 chemicals they contain that wreck their health." * For more information on stopping smoking call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0 169 or visit www.givingupsmoking.co.uk. | 
