PARENTS caught smoking with children in the car could escape paying fines after the chief constable of Wiltshire Police described enforcing the new law as "not a priority".

The changes, which makes it an offence for a person of any age to smoke in a private vehicle that is carrying someone who is under 18, came into effect on October 1. Under the law anybody who is caught can be hit by a £50 fine.

Mike Veale said: "I believe this is a public health issue first and foremost, and therefore, it will not be a priority for the Force at a time of such austerity. This Force, like those across the country, will be taking an educational, advisory and non-confrontational approach when enforcing this new law.

"This means that members of the public can expect to receive warnings as opposed to fines for a three month grace period to allow public awareness and a high level of compliance to build.

"The hard-working and dedicated Roads Policing officers will of course prioritise serious collisions on the county’s roads over smoking in vehicles, and I believe the public would fully support this attitude."

Writing in a monthly column on the Wiltshire Police website Mr Veale also highlighted the need to educate young people on the consequences of sexting.

He cited a recent case where a 14-year-old boy was given a criminal record for sending a naked selfie to a classmate.

"I am told by our Youth Engagement Officers that many young people opt to send images rather than engage in conversation as a way of flirting these days," he continued.

"Whether we like it or not, sexting is now commonplace amongst teenagers but it has led me to question whether or not we are criminalising a future tidal wave of young people, or is this new criminalisation of sexting enough to deter our teenagers? Only time will tell, but I do believe it is vital that we invest in educating the young people of Wiltshire by visiting schools to ensure they are aware of the consequences should they make the decision to send sexual images of themselves to their peers.

"Otherwise, it could result in having a very significant impact upon our operational capacity and capability at a time when we are already facing saving requirements which could be in excess of £10 million over the next three years."