WE welcome the way society is moving towards minimising the dangers of passive smoking. We just wish progress could be made more quickly.

In places like Middlesbrough, where one person dies each day from a smoking-related illness, the public health benefits of creating a smoke-free environment are clear.

But figures obtained by The Northern Echo show that the Government's partial ban on smoking in pubs will increase the North-South health divide.

That is because the region has a higher proportion of pubs that do not serve food and are therefore not bound by the forthcoming ban. In Tony Blair's own Sedgefield constituency, up to 64 per cent of pubs will escape the ban.

We understand the arguments about the nanny state dictating the way we live our lives. We also appreciate that customers will be able to vote with their feet if they feel strongly about smoky pubs.

But we agree with the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing and Cancer Research UK that a blanket ban on smoking in pubs is ultimately the only way to protect public health.

Society has moved a long way on this sensitive issue but it has not been swift progress.

The logical conclusion to the positive steps taken by employers across the country to protect their non-smoking workers is to follow the Republic of Ireland's lead and ensure that people can relax in any pub in the knowledge that they will not be risking their health by breathing in someone else's smoke.