ENTREPRENEUR Duncan Bannatyne called yesterday for new legislation to crack down on adults smoking near children or selling them cigarettes.

The Dragons’ Den star spoke out as he was unveiled as “UK Children’s Champion” for the stopsmoking charity Quit.

He told an event at the House of Lords to launch his role: “We need more legislation. We need to stop people selling cigarettes in vending machines, we need to make it against the law to smoke in rooms and cars where there are children, we need to make sure tobacco sellers go to jail if they sell to children.

“When people say they enjoy it, I tell them ‘You are living in cloud cuckoo land, you smoke because you are addicted’.”

He added: “I’m going to write to the Prime Minister about the legislation that is needed and I’m going to go into schools and talk to children about the dangers of smoking.”

Mr Bannatyne is to be awarded a doctorate of business administration from Teesside University.

He will receive his degree from the university’s chancellor, Lord Sawyer of Darlington, in a ceremony at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre on February 6, at 2pm.